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Lupinus pusillus

intermountain lupine, low lupine, rusty lupine

green stipuled lupine, greenstipule lupine

Habit Herbs, annual, 0.5–2 dm, sparsely pubescent to pilose, hairs more than 1 mm. Herbs, perennial, 3–8 dm, green, spreading-hairy.
Stems

short and tufted or erect, branched from base or near middle.

erect, unbranched or branched.

Leaves

cauline, often crowded near base;

stipules well developed;

petiole 1–9 cm;

leaflets 5–9, blades 10–40 × 5–10 mm, adaxial surface glabrous.

cauline;

stipules green, leaflike, lanceolate, 6–30 mm;

petiole 3–6 cm;

leaflets 6–9, blades 20–60 × 4–8 mm, adaxial surface pubescent.

Racemes

8–12-flowered, 2–11 cm, shorter than or slightly exceeding foliage;

flowers spirally arranged.

3–20 cm;

flowers ± whorled.

Peduncles

0–3.5 cm;

bracts persistent, straight, 2–5 mm.

1–11 cm;

bracts deciduous, 4–10 mm.

Pedicels

1–3.5 mm.

2–7 mm.

Flowers

5–12 mm;

calyx abaxial lobe entire, 5–6 mm, adaxial lobe cleft, 2.5–4 mm;

corolla vivid blue, sometimes paler or white, sometimes bicolored, banner spot white or yellowish, keel glabrous.

10–14 mm;

calyx bulge or spur 0–1 mm, abaxial lobe entire or 3-toothed, 5–12 mm, adaxial lobe 2-toothed, 5–10 mm;

corolla blue, banner patch white, banner glabrous abaxially, keel upcurved, usually glabrous, sparsely hairy near middle of adaxial margin.

Legumes

1.5 cm, constricted between seeds, thinly pilose to coarsely hirsute.

2–4 cm, silky.

Cotyledons

persistent, disclike, sessile.

deciduous, petiolate.

Seeds

2, wrinkled or ridged.

2–6, beige, mottled brown, 4–5 mm.

Lupinus pusillus

Lupinus fulcratus

Phenology Flowering May–Sep.
Habitat In mixed conifer forests, on granitic soils.
Elevation 1500–3000 m. (4900–9800 ft.)
Distribution
from USDA
w North America; c North America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

Lupinus pusillus is a highly variable species, with the varieties intergrading.

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

Lupinus fulcratus is found at higher elevations in the Sierra Nevada. It closely resembles L. andersonii except for the leaflike stipules.

Lupinus ionewalkerae C. P. Smith, L. lingulae C. P. Smith, and L. cymbaegressus C. P. Smith may be hybrids with L. andersonii (P. A. Munz 1959).

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

Key
1. Peduncles 0–1 cm; racemes shorter than foliage; flowers 6–8 mm.
var. intermontanus
1. Peduncles usually 1–3.5 cm; racemes equal to or longer than foliage; flowers 7–12 mm.
→ 2
2. Pedicels and calyx tubes strigose.
var. pusillus
2. Pedicels and calyx tubes glabrous.
var. rubens
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. 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. 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
L. pusillus var. intermontanus, L. pusillus var. pusillus, L. pusillus var. rubens
Synonyms L. albicaulis var. fulcratus, L. andersonii var. fulcratus, L. beaneanus, L. finitus, L. fraxinetorum
Name authority Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 2: 468. 1814[1813] Greene: Pittonia 3: 159. (1897)
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