Find a Florist

Birth Flowers

July Birth Flower: The Larkspur and the Water Lily

Written by

Published Updated 4 min read

Share

See updates and corrections

Which flowers belong to July, what larkspur and the water lily mean, whether larkspur is the same as delphinium, and whether either is safe around pets.

Three pink water lily blooms with red centers and dark stamens cut out on a cream backgroundSave

In Short

July birth flowers are the larkspur, the primary flower, and the water lily, the secondary one, and larkspur is toxic to cats, dogs, and horses. We traced each larkspur meaning to its Victorian dictionary entry, and the Victorians and today's lists part ways.

  • Send blue or white larkspur for a warm note: today's lists read blue as dignity and grace and white as happiness and joy, and no Victorian dictionary lists either.
  • Think twice before a purple larkspur in a first-love card: the Victorian dictionary read purple as haughtiness, and only today's lists read it as first love.
More Takeaways
  • Give a water lily for purity: the Victorian dictionaries and today's lists agree on it, and the lotus is a different plant.
  • Plan to see water lilies in bloom in late July through August, when they peak.

Larkspur: The Primary July Birth Flower

Larkspur spires in purple, pink and blue in a flower field, with fine feathery foliageSave

Larkspur is the primary July birth flower on the standard list, with the water lily as the secondary. The annual larkspur grows one to three feet tall, with blue, pink, white, and purple flowers grouped along a single stalk; the perennial delphinium runs taller. Larkspur is the common name for two closely related groups: the annual Consolida, now folded into Delphinium, and the perennial Delphinium.

Where the Larkspur Got Its Name

The July birthday flower is also known as lark’s heel, lark’s toes, lark’s claw, and knight’s spur. The name larkspur refers to the flower's long spur, which resembles a lark's claw. Folklore ties the larkspur to Ajax, a Greek hero of the Trojan War, and the species name ajacis honors him.

The annual larkspur is now treated as Delphinium ajacis, with Consolida ajacis as a synonym, though the name Consolida is still widely used. The family is Ranunculaceae, the buttercup family.

Larkspur Meaning, From the Victorians to Today

Where This Comes From
Kate Greenaway's Language of Flowers (1884), Dumont (1851) and Shoberl (1834) for lightness, pink fickleness and purple haughtiness; today's readings: The Old Farmer's Almanac
Pet Safety
Toxic to cats, dogs and horses (ASPCA)

Victorian flower dictionaries read the larkspur as lightness and levity, while today's lists read it as positivity, loving bonds, dedication, and sincerity. The July birth flower holds numerous meanings depending on its color.

Pink larkspur means fickleness, in Victorian flower dictionaries and on today's lists. White larkspur means happiness and joy on today's lists; Victorian flower dictionaries list no white larkspur. Purple larkspur meant haughtiness to the Victorians and now means first love, while blue larkspur means dignity and grace.

Is Larkspur the Same as Delphinium?

Close-up of two violet-blue larkspur flowers with a long curved spur, a bumblebee on the lower petalsSave
Photo: Pancrat, CC BY-SA 3.0

Larkspur and delphinium are closely related plants, and the common name larkspur is used for both. The annual larkspur (Consolida ajacis) is now filed by botanists as Delphinium ajacis, and it grows one to three feet tall, while perennial Delphinium elatum reaches three to five feet. The name Delphinium comes from the Greek word for dolphin, after the shape of the flower's spur.

The Ajax Legend: What Ovid Says

In Ovid's Metamorphoses, book 13, a purple flower sprouts from the blood of Ajax, and Ovid names neither larkspur nor delphinium. So the link between Ajax and the larkspur is a later tradition, not Ovid's account.

Water Lily: July's Second Birth Flower

Pink water lily with a red center and dark-tipped stamens floating on large lily padsSave

The water lily is July's secondary birth flower, after the larkspur. At the New York Botanical Garden, water lilies flower from late June onward and peak from late July through August.

What the Water Lily Means

Where This Comes From
Kate Greenaway's Language of Flowers (1884) and Dumont (1851) for purity; today's reading: The Old Farmer's Almanac
Pet Safety
Not on the ASPCA's lists

In the Victorian language of flowers, the water lily meant purity of heart. The lotus (Nelumbo) is a different plant and is not on July's list. For the water lily's wider symbolism, see the water lily meaning guide.

Why Does July Have Two Birth Flowers, and Who Calls Them Official?

Cream leather cover of Kate Greenaway's Language of Flowers, titled in gilt with a small roseSave
Cover of Kate Greenaway's Language of Flowers (1884), via the National Diet Library, public domain

July has two birth flowers because no single list is standard: cultures and regions have favored different blooms, and some flowers are not available everywhere.

The specific flowers associated with each month have varied throughout history and between cultures. Victorian flower dictionaries such as Kate Greenaway's 1884 book recorded the older meanings in the language of flowers, including larkspur's lightness and the water lily's purity of heart.

The standard July list rests on folklore likely developed in the Northern Hemisphere; calling it official only reflects that it is the one usually accepted. It’s similar to birthstones, where each month is associated with a specific gemstone.

For more, see our in-depth guide to the Official Birth Month Flowers.

From Our Florist Comparisons

Checked Oct 15, 2026

Larkspur and Delphinium Bouquets to Send

From national florists we’ve ordered from and reviewedDelivered prices include fees

Chosen independently. Some links earn us a commission, at no cost to you. Learn more

Compare Online Florists

How the Victorian, Japanese and Modern Meanings Compare

The three traditions agree that pink larkspur means fickleness and that the water lily means purity. They differ on purple larkspur, which Victorian and Japanese lists read as haughtiness and today's lists as first love. Japan assigns birth flowers to days of the year, not months, so there is no Japanese July pair.

  • Larkspur

    Victorian
    Lightness and levity; flights of fancy
    Japanese
    Delphinium: clear and bright (seimei), noble (kōki)
    Today
    Positivity, loving bonds, dedication, sincerity

    Partly agree

  • Pink larkspur

    Victorian
    Fickleness
    Japanese
    Capricious, changeable of heart
    Today
    Fickleness

    All three agree

  • Purple larkspur

    Victorian
    Haughtiness
    Japanese
    Nobility and haughtiness
    Today
    First love

    Victorian and Japanese agree

  • Water lily

    Victorian
    Purity of heart; purity
    Japanese
    Faith, a pure heart, trust; white: purity
    Today
    Purity, innocence, chastity

    All three agree on purity

Victorian: Kate Greenaway's Language of Flowers (1884) and Henrietta Dumont's (1851). Japanese: magazine and government flower-language lists; Japan assigns birth flowers to days, not months. Today: the Old Farmer's Almanac and florist lists. Blue and white larkspur have no Victorian entry.

Birth Month Flower Calendar

  • January

    Flowers
    Carnation · Snowdrop

  • February

    Flowers
    Violet · Primrose · Iris

  • March

    Flowers
    Daffodil

  • April

    Flowers
    Daisy · Sweet Pea

  • May

    Flowers
    Lily of the Valley · Hawthorn

  • June

    Flowers
    Rose · Honeysuckle

  • JulyThis page

    Flowers
    Larkspur · Water Lily

  • August

    Flowers
    Gladiolus · Poppy

  • September

    Flowers
    Aster · Morning Glory

  • October

    Flowers
    Marigold · Cosmos

  • November

    Flowers
    Chrysanthemum · Peony

  • December

    Flowers
    Narcissus · Holly · Poinsettia

Choosing a Birth Flower for July

For a July birthday, choose the larkspur color that fits the message, and keep the stems out of reach of pets. That way the arrangement carries the sentiment you intend.

To send larkspur for a July birthday, compare the florists we've tested.

Other months' flowers include the August birth flower and the February birth flower.

Questions and Answers

What happens if a pet eats larkspur?

Larkspur is toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. The diterpene alkaloids in the plant can cause neuromuscular paralysis, with signs that include increased salivation, muscle tremors, stiffness, weakness, recumbency, and convulsions; cardiac failure may also occur. The plant generally becomes less toxic as it matures. If you suspect your pet has eaten larkspur, call a veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.

When does larkspur bloom?

Larkspur blooms in early summer, before the heat sets in. The annual Consolida ajacis flowers from June through August, and Delphinium elatum blooms through the summer.

What is the birth flower for Leo?

Birth flowers follow the calendar month, not the zodiac sign. Leo dates are typically July 23 through August 22, so a Leo born July 23 to 31 has July's pair, the larkspur and water lily. A Leo born in August has August's pair, the gladiolus and poppy.

Do birth flowers change in the Southern Hemisphere?

No, the standard list stays the same. Most sources from Australia and New Zealand list the same birth flowers as the standard list, even though the folklore behind it likely developed in the Northern Hemisphere. Some flowers are simply less available in different regions.

Sources12 sources, linked in the text
  1. The Old Farmer's Almanac, July Birth Flowers
  2. Kansas Wildflower Society, Consolida ajacis
  3. Kew's World Checklist of Vascular Plants via GBIF, Delphinium ajacis
  4. Kate Greenaway, The Language of Flowers (1884)
  5. NC State Extension Plant Toolbox, Delphinium elatum
  6. Dumont, The Language of Flowers (1851)
  7. Ovid, Metamorphoses 13, trans. Brookes More (Perseus)
  8. New York Botanical Garden, Mertz Library
  9. The Old Farmer's Almanac, Birth Month Flowers and Their Meanings
  10. Hibiya-Kadan, 365-day birth flowers
  11. ASPCA, Larkspur
  12. Astrostyle, Leo Dates
Updates and CorrectionsOct 20, 2026 · 4 corrected, 1 clarified, 1 removed

  • Added: A comparison of the Victorian, Japanese and modern meanings, sections on larkspur and delphinium and on the Ajax legend, a source for each meaning, pet safety for both flowers, and a month-by-month calendar.
  • Corrected: 3 unsourced figures (zones, counts, sizes or dates) were corrected to a source or removed.
  • Corrected: 3 statements about where plants grow wild now follow the sources.
  • Corrected: The page called the larkspur and water lily the official July birth flowers. No body designates birth flowers; the Old Farmer's Almanac lists them as July's flowers.
  • Corrected: The larkspur was said to have been reclassified as Consolida; Kew's checklist now accepts it as Delphinium ajacis.
  • Clarified: Ovid's Ajax story names no larkspur; the larkspur link is a later tradition.
  • Removed: Unsourced water lily claims (130 million years, Assyrian cultivation, its spread); the water lily's history now lives on our water lily meaning page.

Save and Share

Follow Petal Republic

Reader Comments

Comments are closed for now.