Lupinus bicolor
Lupinus perennis
bicolor lupine, field lupine, Lindley's annual lupine, Lindley's lupine, lupine, miniature lupine, Montana lupine, small-flower lupine, two-color lupine, two-colour lupine
sundial lupine
ascending or erect, branched or unbranched.
erect, unbranched or sparsely branched distally, usually hollow.
cauline;
petiole 1–7 cm;
leaflets 5–8, blades 10–40 × 1–5 mm, adaxial surface glabrous or sparsely pubescent.
cauline;
stipules 4–12 mm, longer proximally becoming smaller distally;
petiole (2–)5–10(–15) cm;
leaflets 7–11, blades (15–)20–45(–50) × 4–15 mm, abaxial surface appressed to spreading hairy, strigose, adaxial surface green, glabrous.
4–20 cm;
flowers usually in fewer than 5 whorls, sometimes spirally arranged.
8–20(–30) cm;
flowers spirally arranged or whorled.
3–10 cm;
bracts deciduous, 4–6 mm.
(2.5–)4–9 cm;
bracts tardily deciduous, 3–6 mm.
1–3.5 mm.
(3–)5–7(–10) mm.
4–10 mm;
calyx abaxial lobe entire, 4–6 mm, adaxial lobe deeply cleft, 2–4 mm;
corolla usually blue, rarely light blue, pink, or white, banner spot white, becoming magenta, upper keel margins usually ciliate near apex, rarely glabrous, sometimes blunt, banner longer than wide.
(8–)12–16 mm;
calyx abaxial lobe slightly 3-dentate, 5–6 mm, adaxial lobe notched, 4–5 mm;
corolla usually blue, sometimes pink or white, banner glabrous abaxially, upper keel margins ciliate.
1–3 × 0.3–0.6 cm, pubescent.
3–5 cm, villous.
deciduous, petiolate.
deciduous, petiolate.
5–8.
5 or 6.
= 48.
= 48, 96.
Lupinus bicolor
Lupinus perennis
Lupinus bicolor is naturalized in Arizona. The named subspecies and varieties do not conform to consistently recognizable geographical or morphological entities (D. B. Dunn 1955). Vigorous plants with larger flowers may be confused with L. nanus. In California, plants on the Outer North Coast Ranges may persist for two growing seasons. Lupinus bicolor (as L. polycarpus) has been reported from Alabama (A. R. Diamond 2016) and Michigan (E. G. Voss and A. A. Reznicek 2012).
Lupinus micranthus Douglas (1829, not Gussone 1828) is an illegitimate name that pertains here.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Shorter plants with more basal leaves have been recognized as subsp. gracilis; intermediates between the named varieties are abundant. Variety occidentalis was described from Michigan and Wisconsin as differing by its dense pubescence, which is a variable trait.
In the northern part of its range, Lupinus perennis is sympatric with L. polyphyllus and can be differentiated because the latter has more leaflets and a glabrous keel. Lupinus perennis is of conservation concern in some states and is an important host plant for lepidopterans; the federally endangered Karner Blue butterfly relies on L. perennis as a larval host plant and sundial lupine also is a larval host plant for Frosted Elfin (Callophrys irus) and Wild Indigo Duskywing (Erynnis baptisiae) butterflies and several species of moths.
Lupinus perennis is toxic and potentially fatal to livestock, due to the alkaloid D-lupaine (M. Wink et al. 1995).
Lupinus gracilis Nuttall (1834, not Kunth 1824) is an illegitimate name that pertains here.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. 
WildflowerSearch
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USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
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