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Lupinus brevicaulis

sand lupine, short stem blue lupine, short-stem lupine

river-bank lupine, stream bank lupine

Habit Herbs, annual, usually less than 1 dm, pubescent, hairs more than 1 mm. Herbs, perennial, 3.5–10 dm, green, ± glabrous.
Stems

very short, tufted, branched.

decumbent, ascending, or erect, branched, dark brown to red, usually hollow.

Leaves

cauline, crowded near base;

stipules well developed;

petiole 1–6 cm;

leaflets (3 or)5–9, blades 8–20 × 2–9 mm, adaxial surface glabrous.

cauline;

stipules 7–15 mm;

petiole 3–5 cm;

leaflets 5–9, blades 20–40 × 4–9 mm, adaxial surface glabrous.

Racemes

dense, 3–16-flowered, 1–8 cm;

flowers spirally arranged, crowded.

open, 15–50 cm;

flowers ± whorled or not.

Peduncles

1–8(–10) cm;

bracts persistent, straight, 2–3 mm.

3–15 cm;

bracts deciduous, 8–10 mm.

Pedicels

0.3–1.5 mm.

5–10 mm.

Flowers

6–8 mm;

calyx abaxial lobe entire or shallowly cleft, ± 6 mm, adaxial lobe 2-toothed, 3 mm, less than 1/2 as long as abaxial;

corolla bright blue, banner spot white or yellow, keel glabrous.

12–16 mm;

calyx bulge or spur 0–1 mm, abaxial lobe entire or ± 3-toothed, 7–9 mm, adaxial lobe 2-toothed, 7–8 mm;

corolla violet, banner glabrous abaxially, lower keel margins glabrous, adaxial margin ciliate claw to tip.

Legumes

not undulate, 1 cm, thinly pilose to coarsely hirsute.

dark, 3–7 cm, sparsely hairy.

Cotyledons

persistent, disclike, sessile.

deciduous, petiolate.

Seeds

1 or 2, smooth.

7 or 8, mottled brown with black line, 3–4 mm.

Lupinus brevicaulis

Lupinus rivularis

Phenology Flowering spring. Flowering Mar–Jun.
Habitat Sandy washes, open areas, grasslands, pinyon pine-juniper forests, creosote bush scrub, mesquite. Gravelly prairies, open woods, riverbanks.
Elevation 300–2400 m. (1000–7900 ft.) 0–500 m. (0–1600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; NM; NV; OR; UT; WY; Mexico (Chihuahua, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Lupinus brevicaulis resembles L. flavoculatus except that its flowers are smaller.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Lupinus rivularis ranges from Mendocino County in California northward through Oregon and Washington. It has been confirmed in British Columbia (where it is of conservation concern) in the extreme southwestern corner of the province, with a single population on southern Vancouver Island and five populations in the lower Fraser Valley.

Lupinus rivularis is distinguished by its absence of wood, banners that are glabrous abaxially, ciliate keels, glabrous leaf surfaces, and violet flowers. It grades into blue-flowered L. arboreus but blooms earlier (late winter, spring) and is not sweet-smelling. L. L. Phillips (1955) considered L. rivularis as synonymous with L. albicaulis.

Lupinus rivularis is widely planted for erosion control in western Oregon; it is of conservation concern in Canada.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Lupinus Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Lupinus
Sibling taxa
L. adsurgens, L. affinis, L. albicaulis, L. albifrons, L. andersonii, L. angustiflorus, L. antoninus, L. apertus, L. arboreus, L. arbustus, L. arcticus, L. argenteus, L. arizonicus, L. benthamii, L. bicolor, L. breweri, L. cervinus, L. chamissonis, L. citrinus, L. concinnus, L. constancei, L. covillei, L. croceus, L. dalesiae, L. diffusus, L. duranii, L. elatus, L. elmeri, L. excubitus, L. flavoculatus, L. formosus, L. fulcratus, L. gracilentus, L. grayi, L. guadalupensis, L. havardii, L. hirsutissimus, L. huachucanus, L. hyacinthinus, L. kingii, L. kuschei, L. lapidicola, L. latifolius, L. lepidus, L. leucophyllus, L. littoralis, L. longifolius, L. ludovicianus, L. luteolus, L. magnificus, L. malacophyllus, L. microcarpus, L. nanus, L. neomexicanus, L. nevadensis, L. nipomensis, L. nootkatensis, L. obtusilobus, L. odoratus, L. onustus, L. oreganus, L. pachylobus, L. padrecrowleyi, L. peirsonii, L. perennis, L. polyphyllus, L. pratensis, L. pusillus, L. rivularis, L. sabineanus, L. sericatus, L. sericeus, L. shockleyi, L. sierrae-blancae, L. sparsiflorus, L. spectabilis, L. stiversii, L. subcarnosus, L. succulentus, L. sulphureus, L. texensis, L. tidestromii, L. tracyi, L. truncatus, L. uncialis, L. villosus, L. westianus
L. adsurgens, L. affinis, L. albicaulis, L. albifrons, L. andersonii, L. angustiflorus, L. antoninus, L. apertus, L. arboreus, L. arbustus, L. arcticus, L. argenteus, L. arizonicus, L. benthamii, L. bicolor, L. brevicaulis, L. breweri, L. cervinus, L. chamissonis, L. citrinus, L. concinnus, L. constancei, L. covillei, L. croceus, L. dalesiae, L. diffusus, L. duranii, L. elatus, L. elmeri, L. excubitus, L. flavoculatus, L. formosus, L. fulcratus, L. gracilentus, L. grayi, L. guadalupensis, L. havardii, L. hirsutissimus, L. huachucanus, L. hyacinthinus, L. kingii, L. kuschei, L. lapidicola, L. latifolius, L. lepidus, L. leucophyllus, L. littoralis, L. longifolius, L. ludovicianus, L. luteolus, L. magnificus, L. malacophyllus, L. microcarpus, L. nanus, L. neomexicanus, L. nevadensis, L. nipomensis, L. nootkatensis, L. obtusilobus, L. odoratus, L. onustus, L. oreganus, L. pachylobus, L. padrecrowleyi, L. peirsonii, L. perennis, L. polyphyllus, L. pratensis, L. pusillus, L. sabineanus, L. sericatus, L. sericeus, L. shockleyi, L. sierrae-blancae, L. sparsiflorus, L. spectabilis, L. stiversii, L. subcarnosus, L. succulentus, L. sulphureus, L. texensis, L. tidestromii, L. tracyi, L. truncatus, L. uncialis, L. villosus, L. westianus
Synonyms L. amphibius, L. lignipes
Name authority S. Watson: Botany (Fortieth Parallel), 53, plate 7, figs. 1–4. (1871) Douglas ex Lindley: Edwards’s Bot. Reg. 19: plate 1595. (1833)
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