Although larkspurs are related to buttercups and belong to the same family, the flower structure is more complex and not always readily understood without some dissection. A typical larkspur flower has five petal-like sepals, the uppermost of which is modified into a prominent spur. The four petals are smaller than the sepals. The upper two petals have nectar-secreting spurs enclosed in the uppermost sepal. Meadow Larkspur, like other members of this genus, is often difficult to identify with certainty. This is because interspecies hybridization blurs species boundaries, especially in disturbed habitats.
DISTRIBUTION: Found in open woodlands, sagebrush, meadow edges and streamsides from 300–3300m, from the High Sierra Nevada to the Cascade and Klamath Ranges of California, to Oregon, Idaho and Nevada.
