Delphinium
or LARKSPURS, a genus of plants belonging to the natural order Ranunculaceæ. They are widely spread over the northern temperate zone.
They are erect, branching, annual or perennial shrubs, with blue or violet, rarely white, racemose flowers; calyx deciduous, petal-like, and irregular. D. staphisagria, staves-acre, has seeds which are irritant and narcotic, and yield the alkaloid delphinia. D. Consolida is a simple astringent.
DELPHINUS (del-fi'nus), (the Dolphin), one of Ptolemy's original 48 constellations, situated between Vulpecula, Pegasus, Equuleus, Aquarius, and Aquila. It has no stars brighter than DELPHOS the third magnitude. The names assigned to its stars Alpha and Beta, and Rotanev, are merely reversals of the name ("Nicolaus Venator") of an astronomer's assistant who wished wished to commemorate himself.