This introduced annual plant is about 2-3' tall. It often produces 2 or 3 forking stems that are themselves little branched. These stems are round and pubescent, although with age they often become glabrous. The alternate leaves are sessile, palmately divided, and up to 3' long and across. Their lobes repeatedly subdivide into smaller lobes that are narrowly linear, providing the leaves with a lacy appearance. They are slightly pubescent and often have a silky appearance. The stems terminate into spike-like racemes of blue-violet flowers. These racemes can be up to 1' in length. Each flower is about 2' across, consisting of 5 petal-like sepals, 4 petals, a single pistil, and some stamens with light blue anthers. The upper sepal forms a hood in front and an upward-curving spur in back about 1' long. The middle and lower sepals are well-rounded and spreading. The 2 upper petals form a protective inner hood of the reproductive organs; they are not fused together. The 2 lower petals form a V-shaped landing pad for visiting insects. The outer sepals are larger in size than the inner petals. At the base of each flower is a slender pedicel about 1' long. The blooming period occurs during the summer and lasts about 1-2 months. Each flower is replaced by a pubescent follicle containing numerous small black seeds. These seeds are small enough to be dispersed by gusts of wind. The root system is a slender branching taproot. This plant spreads by reseeding itself, and may form colonies at favorable sites, although it usually doesn't persist.

Rocket Larkspur is an occasional plant that has been reported from scattered counties in Illinois, except in the NW area of the state (see Distribution Map). Habitats consist of areas along railroads and roadsides, banks of drainage ditches, abandoned fields, vacant lots, and flower gardens. There is a strong preference for disturbed areas; it does not appear to invade higher quality natural habitats to any significant extent, at least in Illinois. Rocket Larkspur originates from the Mediterranean area of Europe; it was introduced into the United States as an ornamental plant.

Mediterranean region.

Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Egypt.

Delphinium ambiguum L.:
Mauritania (Africa & Madagascar)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Consolida ajacis (L.) Schur:
Costa Rica (Mesoamerica)
El Salvador (Mesoamerica)
Guatemala (Mesoamerica)
Honduras (Mesoamerica)
Mexico (Mesoamerica)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Delphinium ajacis L.:
Canada (North America)
Guatemala (Mesoamerica)
Honduras (Mesoamerica)
Mexico (Mesoamerica)
United States (North America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

introduced; B.C., Man., Ont.; Ala., Ariz., Ark., Calif., Conn., Del., D.C., Fla., Ga., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., Ky., La., Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Miss., Mo., Mont., Nebr., N.C., N.Dak., N.J., N.Y., Ohio, Okla., Pa., R.I., S.C., Tenn., Tex., Vt., Va., W.Va., Wis.; native to Europe and Africa; introduced in Asia and Australia.

Canada

Origin: Exotic

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

United States

Origin: Exotic

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

Stems 3-8(-10) dm, glabrous to sparsely puberulent. Leaves 5-20 or more. Leaf blade orbiculate, 12-60-lobed or more, 1-5 cm wide, glabrous to puberulent, lobes less than 1.5 mm wide. Inflorescences 6-30(-75)-flowered, simple or with 3 or fewer branches; bracts (at least lowermost 2) with 5 or more lobes; pedicel ascending-spreading, 1-3(-5) cm, ± puberulent; bracteoles not touching sepals, 4-20mm from flower, ± linear, 1-3mm, ± puberulent. Flowers: sepals blue to purple, rarely pink or white, nearly glabrous, lower sepal 8-18 × 4-8mm, lateral sepals 8-18 × 6-14 mm, spur 12-20 mm; petals of same color as sepals or whiter, lateral lobes 3-6mm, terminal lobes 5-8 × 2-4 mm, sinus 0.2-1 mm. Follicles 12-25 mm, puberulent.

Delphinium ajacis Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 531. 1753

Rocket Larkspur is an occasional plant that has been reported from scattered counties in Illinois, except in the NW area of the state (see Distribution Map). Habitats consist of areas along railroads and roadsides, banks of drainage ditches, abandoned fields, vacant lots, and flower gardens. There is a strong preference for disturbed areas; it does not appear to invade higher quality natural habitats to any significant extent, at least in Illinois. Rocket Larkspur originates from the Mediterranean area of Europe; it was introduced into the United States as an ornamental plant.

Coastal sandy soil.

Waste places, old homesites, drainage ditches, roadsides, and railroads; 0-2000m.

Long-tongued bees pollinate the flowers, especially bumblebees. Butterflies may visit the flowers occasionally, but they are unlikely to be effective at pollination. Because of the presence of an alkaloid, delphinine, both the foliage and small seeds are quite toxic. Therefore, they are of little value as a food source to birds and mammals. Like the closely related Delphinium spp. (Delphiniums), the Larkspurs occasionally poison livestock.

Foodplant / pathogen
Cucumber Mosaic virus infects and damages live, stunted, flowerless plant of Consolida ajacis

Foodplant / parasite
Erysiphe aquilegiae var. ranunculi parasitises Consolida ajacis

Foodplant / open feeder
caterpillar of Polychrysia moneta grazes on live leaf of Consolida ajacis
Remarks: season: summer

Flowering summer.

Annual.

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.


No available public DNA sequences.

Download FASTA File

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 7
Specimens with Barcodes: 7
Species With Barcodes: 1

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: NNA - Not Applicable

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: NNA - Not Applicable

Rounded Global Status Rank: GNR - Not Yet Ranked

Reasons: Introduced from the Mediterranean.

These species are introduced in Switzerland.

The preference is full sunlight, moist to mesic conditions, and a loamy fertile soil. This plant develops quickly, shooting up like a rocket, hence the common name. However, in poor soil and droughty conditions, growth will be stunted.

In many floras the names Consolida ambigua (Linnaeus) Ball & Heywood and Delphinium ambiguum Linnaeus have been misapplied to this taxon. 

 Consolida ajacis has escaped and become more or less naturalized in many temperate and subtropical parts of the world. It is by far the most commonly encountered species of Consolida in North America.

The Cherokee used Consolida ajacis medicinally in infusions to treat heart problems (D. E. Moerman 1986, as Delphinium ajacis ).

Comments: The name Consolida ambigua (Delphinium ambiguum) is also commonly used for this plant. Kartesz (1994 checklist) uses the name Consolida ajacis for it; it is also sometimes called Delphinium ajacis. Regardless of the name, the species is exotic in North America.