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Lupinus brevicaulis

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

Huachuca Mountain lupine

Habit Herbs, annual, usually less than 1 dm, pubescent, hairs more than 1 mm. Herbs, perennial (often with annual aspect), 0.1–2 dm, conspicuously pilose, from taproot.
Stems

very short, tufted, branched.

prostrate to decumbent, clustered, acaulescent or short-spreading and unbranched.

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.

mostly near base, in a rosette;

stipules 4–10 mm;

petiole 1–9 cm;

leaflets 5–7(or 8), blades 10–55 × 4–12 mm, adaxial surface greenish, surfaces copiously villous-hirsute with long, spreading hairs, abaxially more dense.

Racemes

dense, 3–16-flowered, 1–8 cm;

flowers spirally arranged, crowded.

6–23 cm;

flowers spirally arranged.

Peduncles

1–8(–10) cm;

bracts persistent, straight, 2–3 mm.

3–4.5 cm;

bracts deciduous, 4–8 mm.

Pedicels

0.3–1.5 mm.

1–4 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.

7–13 mm;

calyx bulge or spur 0–1 mm, lobes entire, 5–7.5 mm;

corolla violet-blue, banner yellow toward center, tip of keel purple, wings yellow toward center, banner glabrous abaxially, upper keel margins ciliate to densely ciliate.

Legumes

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

1.5–2 cm, hispid.

Cotyledons

persistent, disclike, sessile.

deciduous, petiolate.

Seeds

1 or 2, smooth.

3–5, dark with light spots.

Lupinus brevicaulis

Lupinus huachucanus

Phenology Flowering spring. Flowering Mar–May.
Habitat Sandy washes, open areas, grasslands, pinyon pine-juniper forests, creosote bush scrub, mesquite. Desert mountains, pine wood­lands, canyons along trails.
Elevation 300–2400 m. (1000–7900 ft.) 1500–2000(–2100) m. (4900–6600(–6900) ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; NM; NV; OR; UT; WY; Mexico (Chihuahua, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; Mexico (Chihuahua, Durango, Sonora)
[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 huachucanus occurs in the Santa Rita Mountains in Santa Cruz County, Chiricahua and Huachuca mountains in Cochise County, and in Pima County.

Lupinus huachucanus somewhat resembles L. concinnus but is readily distinguished by its spreading habit, racemes surpassing the foliage, violet-blue corollas, and ciliate keel. Lupinus concinnus is an annual with a more erect habit, pink corollas, and a non-ciliate keel.

(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. 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
Synonyms L. platanophilus
Name authority S. Watson: Botany (Fortieth Parallel), 53, plate 7, figs. 1–4. (1871) M. E. Jones: Contr. W. Bot. 12: 10. (1908)
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