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Miniature Lupine
( Lupinus bicolor )
Lupinus bicolor
More Photos at CalPhotos
More Info at Jepson eFlora
Calflora
Click on blue squares to see occurrence records.
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About Miniature Lupine (Lupinus bicolor)
20 Nurseries Carry This Plant
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Lupinus bicolor
is a species in the Fabaceae (Legume) family known as the Miniature Lupine due to its diminutive size. It is a showy flowering plant native to western North America from California to British Columbia. In California it is very widespread, often appearing in huge numbers. It is an annual wildflower which often shares a habitat with the California poppy. It has a short, hairy stem and thin, palmately-arranged leaves. The flower cluster is short for a lupine at up to 8 centimeters tall. As its name suggests the flowers are usually two colors, with one often a deep blue. The other color is often white and sometimes a light purple or magenta. There are sometimes small speckles or spots on the petals. The plant's hairy pods are quite small, only a couple of centimeters long and very thin, and they contain tiny brownish peas. This plant can be variable in appearance and there are several purported subspecies whose relationships are as yet unclear. Like other Lupines it is nitrogen-fixing and so is useful in restoration projects.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Perennial herb, Annual herb
Size
0.26 - 1.3 ft tall
1 ft wide
Flower Color
Blue, Lavender, Purple, White
Flowering Season
Spring
Wildlife Supported
The flowers attract numerous insects. Lupines generally are host plant for the Arrowhead Blue butterfly.
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 54
likely
* )
SHOW ALL
*
Painted Lady
Vanessa cardui
Vanessa cardui
*
Gray Hairstreak
Strymon melinus
Strymon melinus
*
Acmon Blue
Icaricia acmon
Icaricia acmon
*
Orange Sulphur
Colias eurytheme
Colias eurytheme
*
Silvery Blue
Glaucopsyche lygdamus
Glaucopsyche lygdamus
*
Shasta Blue
Icaricia shasta
Icaricia shasta
*
Arrowhead Blue
Glaucopsyche piasus
Glaucopsyche piasus
Landscaping Information
Sun
Full Sun
Moisture
Low
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established
Nurseries
Carried by 20
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 5° F
Soil Drainage
Medium
Soil Description
Tolerates a variety of soils including very poor soil. Soil PH: 5.8 - 8.2
Common uses
Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens
Companion Plants
This plant is best used in a large open, sunny area where it can be sown in a mass along with other annual wildflowers.
Propagation
?
For propagating by seed: Fresh seeds need no treatment. Stored seeds scarificat ion or hot water; No treatment may give fair germination.
Sunset Zones
?
7*, 8*, 9*, 10, 11, 12, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18, 19, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*
Natural Setting
Site Type
Dry meadows, grasslands, prairies, open or disturbed places
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 3.2" - 115.2", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 2.96", Coldest Month: 29.6" - 59.4", Hottest Month: 50.4" - 88.1", Humidity: 0.01" - 39.05", Elevation: 0" - 8996"
Alternative Names
Common Names
: Annual Lupine, Bicolored Lupine, Miniature Lupine Due To Its Diminutive Size
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Miniature Lupine
Lupinus bicolor
Sources include:
Wikipedia
. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the
California Consortia of Herbaria
, Sunset information provided by
Jepson Flora Project
. Propogation from seed information provided by the
Santa Barbara Botanical Garden
from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include
CalPhotos
,
Wikimedia Commons
, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include
Calflora
,
CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online
,
Jepson Flora Project
,
Las Pilitas
,
Theodore Payne
,
Tree of Life
,
The Xerces Society
, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from
PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University
, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.
Links:
Jepson eFlora Taxon Page
CalPhotos
Wikipedia
Calflora
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