Lupinus lepidus

Lupinus lepidus
White flower surrounded by long green leaves
Lupinus lepidus var. lobbii (prairie lupine)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Tribe: Genisteae
Genus: Lupinus
Species: L. lepidus
Binomial name
Lupinus lepidus
Lindl., 1828[1]

Lupinus lepidus, the Pacific lupine,[2] prairie lupine or dwarf lupine is a perennial herbaceous plant in the pea family (Fabaceae) endemic to western North America.[3][4][5][6]

Habitat and range

In western North America, Lupinus lepidus may be found in open areas from low prairie, open montane forest, to the alpine. Although rare in British Columbia, its range extends south from Alaska to southern California and eastward to the Rocky Mountains.[4][3][6] In California, it is mainly a species of meadows and areas that are moist during the spring growing season in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, from 4,900 to 9,800 feet (1,500 to 3,000 m).[7]

Description

Lupinus lepidus at water's edge, Pioneer Basin, Sierra Nevada

Lupinus lepidus is a small hairy perennial that reaches 4 to 24 inches (10 to 61 cm).[7] Leaves extend up the stem, but most are basal.[7] Leaves are palmately compound with 5-8 green-gray leaflets less than 1 1⁄2 inches (3.8 cm).[7] The inflorescense is a dense spikelike raceme, with pink, purple, and blue flowers having a yellowish spot.[7] The plant blooms from mid-April through August.[3] The fruit is a pod up to 3⁄4 inch (1.9 cm).[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Lupinus lepidus Lindl.". GBIF.org. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  2. ↑ "Lupinus lepidus". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 Sullivan, Steven. K. (2015). "Lupinus lepidus". Wildflower Search. Retrieved 2015-01-17.
  4. 1 2 Klinkenberg, Brian (Editor) (2014). "Lupinus lepidus". E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Retrieved 2015-01-17.
  5. ↑ Giblin, David (Editor) (2015). "Lupinus lepidus". WTU Herbarium Image Collection. Burke Museum, University of Washington. Retrieved 2015-01-17.
  6. 1 2 "Lupinus lepidus". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture; Natural Resources Conservation Service. 2015. Retrieved 2015-01-17.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sierra Nevada Wildflowers, Karen Wiese, 2nd Ed., 2013, p. 35
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