Larkspur (tall and low)
Delphinium spp.
- Plant type
- forb
- Settings
- Rangeland
- Risk
- High risk Our rating from the cited sources.
- Review
- Not yet reviewed by a veterinarian.
Photos
Planned.
How to tell it
Spurred blue flowers; leaves divided into deep lobes; hollow stem, which sets it apart from monkshood (ARS).
Look-alikes: Planned.
What to do on a site walk
- Avoid unit or limit time from flowering through pod stage.
- Move animals quietly.
Why it matters
- Toxic principle
- Diterpenoid alkaloids
- Toxic parts
- Whole plant; new growth and seeds highest
- Basis for our rating
- Chewgrass rating. ARS: causes heavy cattle losses through muscle paralysis. Cornell lists goats among animals affected.
Signs in goats
Nervousness, weakness, staggering, falling, muscle twitching, bloat; excitement makes it worse (ARS, mostly cattle data).
If you think an animal has been poisoned, call your vet right away.
Season
Tall larkspur is eaten most from flowering into the pod stage, and toxin can stay high in flowers and pods late in the season; early growth is less palatable (ARS).
Sources
Links last checked: 2026-10-31