Delphinium ×diversicolor: A Rare Montana Larkspur Worth Knowing About
If you’ve stumbled across the name Delphinium ×diversicolor while researching native plants, you’ve discovered one of North America’s botanical mysteries. This rare larkspur is a true enigma in the gardening world – so rare, in fact, that you’re unlikely to find it at your local nursery or even specialty native plant sales.
What Makes This Larkspur So Special?
The × in Delphinium ×diversicolor tells us this is a hybrid species – meaning it’s the result of two different delphinium species crossing in the wild. This natural hybridization has created something quite unique, but also quite elusive. As a native perennial forb, it belongs to the same family as other beloved garden delphiniums, but with its own distinct Montana heritage.
Where Does It Call Home?
This mysterious larkspur is native to Montana, where it exists as part of the state’s diverse wildflower heritage. However, its exact distribution and current population status remain largely undocumented in readily available sources.
The Reality Check for Gardeners
Here’s the honest truth: if you’re hoping to add Delphinium ×diversicolor to your garden, you’re facing some serious challenges. This plant falls into that frustrating category of botanically fascinating but horticulturally unavailable. Its extreme rarity means:
- You won’t find seeds or plants through normal commercial channels
- Growing conditions and care requirements are poorly documented
- Even if you could find it, harvesting from wild populations would be ecologically irresponsible
Better Alternatives for Your Native Garden
While Delphinium ×diversicolor might be off the table for most gardeners, Montana and surrounding regions offer plenty of other spectacular native options that will give you similar tall, spiky beauty:
- Delphinium bicolor (Little Larkspur) – A more available native option with gorgeous blue and white flowers
- Delphinium nuttallianum (Nuttall’s Larkspur) – Another native species with better availability
- Penstemon species – Offer similar vertical interest with excellent pollinator value
- Lupinus species (Wild Lupines) – Provide comparable height and spike-like flower clusters
The Conservation Angle
Plants like Delphinium ×diversicolor remind us that our native flora includes countless species that exist on the margins – rare, specialized, and vulnerable. While we might not be able to grow this particular larkspur in our gardens, we can support conservation efforts and choose other native plants that provide similar ecological functions.
What This Means for Your Garden
If you’re drawn to the idea of this rare Montana larkspur, channel that enthusiasm into seeking out other native delphiniums and related plants that you can actually grow successfully. Focus on creating habitat for native pollinators and supporting the broader ecosystem that rare plants like Delphinium ×diversicolor depend on.
Sometimes the most valuable plants are the ones that teach us about the incredible diversity hiding in plain sight in our native landscapes – even if we can’t bring them home to our gardens.
