Lupinus latifolius
Lupinus latifolius var. subalpinus
broad-leaf lupine
broad-leaf lupine, Cascade lupine
erect or spreading, branched or unbranched.
hollow, soft-shaggy to glabrate (appearing whitish to reddish from hair).
cauline, basal when present withered by anthesis;
stipules 5–10 mm;
petiole 4–20 cm;
leaflets 5–11, blades 40–100 × 6–24 mm, abaxial surface ± hairy, adaxial surface glabrous or hairy.
16–60 cm;
flowers whorled or spirally arranged.
8–20 cm;
bracts deciduous, 8–12 mm.
2–12 mm.
8–18 mm;
calyx abaxial lobe entire or notched, 4–8 mm, adaxial lobe entire or 2-toothed, 5–10 mm;
corolla blue or purple to white, banner patch usually white to yellowish turning purple, banner glabrous abaxially, lower keel margins usually ciliate, adaxial margin ciliate from claw to middle.
12–18 mm.
2–4.5 cm, ± densely hairy.
deciduous, petiolate.
6–10, mottled dark brown, 3–4 mm.
Lupinus latifolius
Lupinus latifolius var. subalpinus
Varieties 5 (5 in the flora).
Various authors have differed in their circumscriptions of Lupinus latifolius. For example, P. K. Vaughn and D. B. Dunn (1977) recognized three varieties, D. Isely (1998) recognized six varieties, and C. L. Hitchcock et al. (1955–1969, vol. 3) recognized three varieties. The most conservative approach has been taken here by recognizing taxa that have the clearest characteristics, but that approach might not reflect phylogeny. Research is needed to clarify the varieties and particularly the relationships among L. latifolius and L. arcticus, L. perennis, and L. polyphyllus.
Lupinus latifolius is known to cause birth defects in livestock (R. F. Keeler et al. 1977).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Variety subalpinus is known from the Coast Mountains and Cascade Range in British Columbia southward through Washington to the volcanic cones of northern Oregon. It is also reported from western Yukon [Beamish et al. 681151 (UBC), Beamish et al. s.n. (UBC)] but the specimens have not been examined; it is absent from Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands).
There is some evidence that var. subalpinus hybridizes with Lupinus nootkatensis (D. B. Dunn and J. M. Gillett 1966). Circumscription of var. subalpinus is not clear. It is sometimes placed as a variety of L. latifolius and sometimes as a variety of L. arcticus. Variety subalpinus can be differentiated from L. arcticus by the leaves being mostly cauline versus mostly basal.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Flowers 8–14 mm. | → 2 |
2. Flowers 10–14(–16) mm. | var. latifolius |
2. Flowers 8–10(–12) mm. | var. viridifolius |
1. Flowers 12–18 mm. | → 3 |
3. Stems densely hairy, not hollow; San Francisco Bay area, California. | var. dudleyi |
3. Stems glabrate or sparsely strigose, hollow; sw California or n Oregon to British Columbia. | → 4 |
4. Herbs 5–20 dm, caudex often unbranched; Arizona, California. | var. parishii |
4. Herbs 2.5–6 dm, caudex branched; n Oregon to British Columbia. | var. subalpinus |
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
