Flowers are in racemes on 1 1/4 in. long stems. There are 5 bluish purple spreading sepals, one an almost straight spur; 4 petals, the upper 2 whitish, rounded, and woolly tufted.  Minutely downy on 4 in. long stems.  The lower leaves are usually withered at the time of flowering.  There are many stamens. Seedpods are downy. Caspers Wilderness Park, San Juan Capistrano, CA. 5-03-09. © Joan Avise

Parry's Larkspur

Delphinium parryi ssp. parryi

Found Occasionally and with a patchy distribution in grassland in coastal sage scrub, chaparral and openings in oak woodland; northwest coast, eastern foothills and Santa Ana Mountains.  It is erect, up to 3 ft. high with minutely downy stems and leaves.  The root is a cluster of woody branches and has a "break-off point" well below the base, below which the roots remain able to regenerate in case of animal grazing (Clarke).

Ranunculaceae

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Caspers Wilderness Park, San Juan Capistrano, CA. 5-03-09. © Joan Avise
Caspers Wilderness Park, San Juan Capistrano, CA. 5-03-09. © Joan Avise

Caspers Wilderness Park, San Juan Capistrano, CA. 5-03-09. © Joan Avise
Caspers Wilderness Park, San Juan Capistrano, CA. 5-03-09. © Joan Avise

Leaves are 3-parted, then further divided into linear segments. Caspers Wilderness Park, San Juan Capistrano, CA. 5-03-09. © Joan Avise
Caspers Wilderness Park, San Juan Capistrano, CA. 5-03-09. © Joan Avise

Caspers Wilderness Park, San Juan Capistrano, CA. 5-03-09
Caspers Wilderness Park, San Juan Capistrano, CA. 5-03-09. © Joan Avise

Home garden in Laguna Beach, CA. 5/15/2019. © Peter J. Bryant
Home garden in Laguna Beach, CA. 5/15/2019. © Peter J. Bryant

Home garden in Laguna Beach, CA. 5/15/2019. © Peter J. Bryant
Home garden in Laguna Beach, CA. 5/15/2019. © Peter J. Bryant