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Sky Lupine
Lupinus nanus
  
About Sky Lupine (Lupinus nanus) 14 Nurseries Carry This Plant Lupinus nanus ("Sky Lupine", "Field Lupine", "Dwarf Lupin" or "Douglas' Annual Lupine"), is a species in the Fabaceae (Legume) family native to the western United States. It grows abundantly in chaparral clearings and along slopes in California, Nevada, and eastern Oregon. In California it is most common in the Coast Ranges and Sierra foothills. As an annual, it is best grown from seed (see instructions below) and will self-sow.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Annual Herb

Size
Size
0.33 - 2 ft tall
1 ft wide

Form
Form
Pyramidal, Spreading

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast

Dormancy
Dormancy
Summer Deciduous

Fragrance
Fragrance
Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color
Flower Color
Blue, Lavender

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Winter, Spring

Wildlife Supported
 
native bees, butterflies, butterflies, hummingbirds

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 53 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Very Low, Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 30 degrees° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description
Soil Description
Tolerates sandy or clay soils. Soil PH: 5.4 - 7.7

Common uses
Common uses
Bird Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Use with medium size shrubs that won't overwhelm it, such as California Brittlebush (Encelia californica), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos sp.), Ceanothus sp. Redberry (Rhamnus crocea); with succulents such as Dudleya sp., Yucca (Hesperoyucca and Yucca sp.) and cacti; with other wildflowers such as California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica), Penstemon sp., Clarkia sp.; and with geophytes such as Wild Onioins (Allium sp.), Brodiaea sp., Mariposa Lily (Calochortus sp.), Dichelostemma sp.

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: Fresh seeds need no treatment. Stored seeds scarification or hot water. No treatment may give fair germination.

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Openings in chapparal slopes near the coast and interior foothills

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 4.4" - 92.8", Summer Precipitation: 0.13" - 2.39", Coldest Month: 19.6" - 61.4", Hottest Month: 41.4" - 88.8", Humidity: 0.30" - 42.79", Elevation: -69" - 12692"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Valley Sky Lupine


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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