As the common name suggests, the flowers of this species are scarlet to red-orange with the occasional tinge of dull yellow. Orange larkspur is a common and striking species, especially when encountered growing against a rocky canyon wall. This species is generally hummingbird pollinated like other larkspurs. This mode of pollination accounts for the high incidence of hybridization with other larkspurs that grow within its range.
DISTRIBUTION: Found on moist wooded rocky slopes from sea level to 2600m on southwestern California and the central and northern Sierra Nevada, to the Cascades and Klamath ranges in northern California.
