The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

desert lupine, purple desert lupine, Shockley lupine

summer lupine, western lupine

Habit Herbs, annual, 0.4–3 dm, canescent, hairs 0.6–1 mm. Herbs, perennial, 12–8 dm, densely hairy to tomentose, gray to silver; rhizomes 3–7 mm diam.
Stems

erect or ascending, very short, tufted or spreading, branched.

ascending, spreading, or erect, branched.

Leaves

cauline, crowded near base;

stipules well developed;

petiole 2–9 cm;

leaflets 7–11, blades 10–30 × 4–10 mm, adaxial surface glabrous.

cauline;

stipules not leaflike, green to silvery, 4–15 mm;

petiole 2–7 cm;

leaflets 7–9, blades 25–70 × 6–14 mm, adaxial surface pubescent.

Racemes

several–many-flowered, 3–14 cm;

flowers spirally arranged.

10–30 cm;

flowers ± whorled.

Peduncles

1–10 cm;

bracts persistent, straight, 2–4 mm.

3–7 cm;

bracts deciduous, 4–14 mm.

Pedicels

1–4 mm.

3–7 mm.

Flowers

4.5–7 mm;

calyx 3–6 mm, lobes ± equal, abaxial lobe entire, adaxial lobe cleft;

corolla dark blue-purple or whitish with blue tip, banner spot white becoming yellow, keel blunt, glabrous.

10–18 mm;

calyx bulge or spur 0–1 mm, abaxial lobe entire or 3-toothed, 8–12 mm, adaxial lobe 2-toothed, 7–11 mm;

corolla purple, banner patch white or not, banner glabrous abaxially, keel upcurved, glabrous, banner ovate, wings wide, covering keel tip.

Legumes

undulate, 1.5–2 cm, not constricted between seeds, ciliate with long, dense hairs, sides with short, inflated hairs becoming scaly on drying.

3–4.5 cm, hairy.

Cotyledons

persistent, disclike, sessile.

deciduous, petiolate.

Seeds

2, wrinkled.

5–7, mottled brown, 4–7 mm.

Lupinus shockleyi

Lupinus formosus

Phenology Flowering spring (Apr–Jun).
Habitat Dunes, sandy areas, washes, playas.
Elevation 0–1500 m. (0–4900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
nw Mexico; California
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Lupinus shockleyi occurs in the desert areas of southern California, adjacent areas of southern Nevada, and northwestern Arizona.

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

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Flowers 10–14 mm; stems 3–4 mm diam.
var. formosus
1. Flowers 16–18 mm; stems 5–7 mm diam.
var. robustus
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. pusillus, L. rivularis, L. sabineanus, L. sericatus, L. sericeus, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
L. formosus var. formosus, L. formosus var. robustus
Name authority S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 22: 470. (1887) Greene: Fl. Francisc., 42. (1891)
Web links