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Douglas' annual lupine, dwarf lupin, field lupine, fleshy lupine, miniature lupine, sky lupine, two-color lupine, valley sky lupine

Lupinus brevicaulis

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

Habit Herbs, annual, 1–6 dm, pubescent. Herbs, annual, usually less than 1 dm, pubescent, hairs more than 1 mm.
Stems

ascending or erect, branched or unbranched.

very short, tufted, branched.

Leaves

cauline;

petiole 2–8.5 cm;

leaflets 5–7(–9), blades 10–40 × 1–12 mm, adaxial surface pubescent.

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.

Racemes

4–40 cm;

flowers usually whorled, sometimes spirally arranged distally.

dense, 3–16-flowered, 1–8 cm;

flowers spirally arranged, crowded.

Peduncles

2–15 cm;

bracts deciduous, 4–12 mm.

1–8(–10) cm;

bracts persistent, straight, 2–3 mm.

Pedicels

2.5–7 mm.

0.3–1.5 mm.

Flowers

6–15 mm;

calyx 4–8 mm, lobes ± equal, adaxial lobe deeply cleft;

corolla usually blue, rarely light blue, lavender, pink, white, banner spot white, upper keel margins ciliate near apex, banner as wide as or wider than long.

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.

Legumes

2–4 × 0.4–0.7 cm, pubescent.

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

Cotyledons

deciduous, petiolate.

persistent, disclike, sessile.

Seeds

4–12.

1 or 2, smooth.

2n

= 48.

Lupinus nanus

Lupinus brevicaulis

Phenology Flowering late winter–spring. Flowering spring.
Habitat Open or disturbed areas. Sandy washes, open areas, grasslands, pinyon pine-juniper forests, creosote bush scrub, mesquite.
Elevation 0–1300 m. (0–4300 ft.) 300–2400 m. (1000–7900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; NM; NV; OR; UT; WY; Mexico (Chihuahua, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Lupinus nanus is a highly variable complex. Plants in northern California and southwestern Oregon, referred to as L. vallicola, have smaller flowers and may be confused with L. bicolor.

Lupinus nanus occurs throughout California except in the Great Basin and desert regions and northward to Washington.

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

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

(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. 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. 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. 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
Synonyms L. blaisdellii, L. nanus var. apricus, L. nanus subsp. latifolius, L. nanus var. maritimus, L. nanus subsp. menkerae, L. nanus var. menkerae, L. nanus var. vallicola, L. vallicola, L. vallicola var. apricus
Name authority Douglas ex Bentham: Trans. Hort. Soc. London, ser. 2, 1: 409, plate 14, fig. 2. (1835) S. Watson: Botany (Fortieth Parallel), 53, plate 7, figs. 1–4. (1871)
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