Delphinium staphisagria

Delphinium staphisagria is a species of Delphinium, or larkspur, of the family Ranunculaceae. This plant is also known as Lice-Bane or Stavesacre. It is described botanically as a stoutly-stemmed, hairy biennial with large palmate leaves up to 6 inches (15 cm) across. The flowers are mauve-blue to blue, short-spurred, and up to 1 inch (2.5 cm) across, occurring in racemes. The plant grows to a height of 4–5 feet. It grows throughout the Mediterranean. The dark-colored, wrinkled seeds of D. staphisagria are characteristically quite large (~5x6 mm), and it is likely that the species name, which translates to "wild raisin" (classical Greek: σταφὶς ἀγρία) is based on their appearance. This name-derivation seems to have been arrived at independently by a modern horticulturalist, David Bassett, who also gives a detailed account of his experiences in growing this species. All parts of this plant are highly toxic and should not be ingested in any quantity.