Larkspur
The Knight’s Spur
An old man sits
In the shadow of a pine tree
In China.
He sees larkspur,
Blue and white,
At the edge of the shadow,
Move in the wind.
His beard moves in the wind.
The pine tree moves in the wind.
Thus water flows
Over weeds.
Larkspur can grow as an annual or as a perennial, depending on species. She has an old-fashioned feeling, like a grandmother overseeing the children. Her upright stature is proud and elegant, yet seemingly approachable. With rounded stems that sometimes reach more than a foot high, her leaves are alternate, while the upper leaves are nearly attached directly to the stem (sessile). Often blooming in a beautiful blue, her dorsal sepal is spurred, giving rise to her many names, such as Larkspur or as Shakespeare called her “Lark’s Heel”. All of this gentle beauty and grace notwithstanding, she harbors an irritant poison called delphinine. She may appear as simply dignified warmth, but do not think to get the better of her.
The Magic of Larkspur
Correspondences
Element: Water
Gender: Feminine
Sabbat: Litha
Planet: Venus
Chakra: Unknown
Spellwork
Protect
Comfort
Honor
Humor
Death
Proverb
Jamaican: A cock cannot ride a horse although he has a spur.
The Medicine of Larkspur
Ayurvedic
Not Applicable (TOXIC)
Herbology
Not Applicable (TOXIC)
TCM
Not Applicable (TOXIC)
Science of Larkspur
Botany
Botanical Name: Delphinium ssp
Family: Ranunculaceae (Buttercup Family)
Type of Plant: Herbaceous perennial
Habitat: A
Zone: 4-7
Bloom Time: April – June
Height: 1-3 feet
Spread: 1-2 feet
Propagation: Seed
Harvest: Ornamental Only
Part Used: None (TOXIC)
Constituents: TOXIC
Native Region: Asia, Europe, Mediterranean
Sustainability: Good
Leaf
Structure: Simple
Arrangement: Alternate
Shape: Palmate lobed
Length: 2 inches
Margins: Deeply lobed, feathery
Surface: Lightly pubescent
Flower
Inflorescence: Compound racemes
Sexuality: Perfect
Stamen: Numerous
Petals: Irregular 5 sepal 1 spur
Color: Blue, Purple
Size: 1 inch
Sacred Story
Little Dawn Boy from the Navajo Tribe lived in the Red Rock House and he wanted to visit the Great-Chief-of-All-Magic who lived on the opposite mountain. His Medicine Man taught him magic songs and gave him gifts to bring to the sacred Chief: strings of wampum, sky-blue turquoise, and the golden Pollen of Dawn which was gathered from the lovely Larkspur flowers. Little Dawn Boy scattered the golden pollen all along his trail in order to keep him safe, and he sang the magic song:
Oh, Pollen Boy am I
From the Red Rock House I come
With Pollen of Dawn on my trail
With beauty before me,
With beauty behind me,
With beauty below me,
With beauty above me,
With beauty all round me,
Over the Rainbow Trail I go!
Hither I wander, thither I wander,
Over the beautiful trail I go