Lupinus argenteus
silvery lupine
erect or ascending, green or purplish, clustered, branched or unbranched.
basal and/or cauline;
stipules 2–12 mm;
petiole 1–15 cm;
leaflets (5 or)6–10, blades 10–60 × 4–10 mm, abaxial surface hairy, adaxial surface glabrous or hairy (but not strigose).
loose, 5–16(–25) cm;
flowers whorled or not.
(1–)4–25(–30) cm;
bracts usually deciduous, 3–4 mm.
(1–)2–5(–7) mm.
5–15 mm;
calyx 4–8 mm, bulge or spur 0–3 mm (may be variable on plant), abaxial lobe entire or 3-toothed, adaxial lobe entire or 2-toothed;
corolla usually blue, sometimes purple, violet, pink, lilac, or white, banner patch yellowish to whitish, blue, brown, or absent, banner not much reflexed-recurved beyond midpoint, this less than 3 mm proximal to apex, banner glabrous or pubescent abaxially, wings glabrous, lower keel margins glabrous, upper margins ciliate.
(1–)2–3 cm, hairy or silky.
deciduous, petiolate.
(2 or)3–5(or 6), tan, brown, or red.
Lupinus argenteus
Varieties 14 (14 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Calyx spur 1–3 mm. | → 2 |
2. Flowers in profile appearing open, spur pronounced. | var. heteranthus |
2. Flowers in profile appearing closed; spur less pronounced. | → 3 |
3. Petioles of proximal cauline leaves 1.5–3 cm. | var. argophyllus |
3. Petioles of proximal cauline leaves 3–12 cm. | var. utahensis |
1. Calyx bulge 0–1 mm, but not elongated into a spur. | → 4 |
4. Leaflets oblanceolate, flat, green, surfaces glabrous or adaxially pubescent; plants of cool, moist mountain meadows, stream banks, lakeshores. | → 5 |
5. Corollas pale blue with brown banner patch; pedicels 1–2.5 mm. | var. fulvomaculatus |
5. Corollas usually blue with yellow banner spot or none; pedicels usually 3–4 mm. | → 6 |
6. Stems unbranched and racemes solitary, terminal. | var. rubricaulis |
6. Stems branched, giving rise to several racemes. | → 7 |
7. Corolla wings (7.5–)8–10 mm. | var. argentatus |
7. Corolla wings 5–7.5 mm. | var. parviflorus |
4. Leaflets oblanceolate or elliptic-oblanceolate, narrow and often folded, surfaces gray or silver-pubescent; plants of dry open areas, foothills to mountains. | → 8 |
8. Stem hairs descending in backward direction or widely spreading. | var. palmeri |
8. Stem hairs forwardly appressed. | → 9 |
9. Flowers large, (7–)8–15 mm. | → 10 |
10. Basal and cauline leaves present at flowering. | var. montigenus |
10. Basal leaves absent at flowering. | → 11 |
11. Flowers (7–)8–12 mm. | var. argenteus |
11. Flowers 12–15 mm. | var. moabensis |
9. Flowers small, 5–7(–9) mm. | → 12 |
12. Banners densely pubescent. | → 40g |
40g. Lupinus argenteus var. holosericeus. | → 12 |
12. Banner glabrous or thinly strigulose abaxially. | → 13 |
13. Wings 5.5–7 mm; banner usually thinly strigulose abaxially; Kaibab Plateau, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah; elevation 2000–2800 m. | var. hillii |
13. Wings 5–6 mm; banner glabrous abaxially; Sierra Nevada, California, adjacent Nevada; elevation 1500–3500 m. | var. meionanthus |
CA
OR
WA
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
