Scientific Family
Fabaceae
Other common names
sand lupine
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Height
2 to 4 inches
Riparian
No
A low, very hairy annual with palmately compound leaves on long stalks, all crowded in a basal cluster. Flowers pea-like, bluish-purple and marked with white, distinctively 2-lipped in dense clusters.
Annual, stemless or nearly so. Leaves basal, palmately compound 5 to 9 leaflets, lower surfaces demsely hairy. Flowers in dense clusters just above leaves. Seed pods not constricted between the seeds, 2-seeded. Seed leaves without stems at germination.
Habitat
Found on dry slopes and mesas.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
3000
High elevation
7000
Flower Characteristics
The flowers are bluish-purple marked with white, sometimes with a yellow spot in the middle of the banner petal; flowers occur in spirals along a stem that arises just above the basal tuft of leaves. Each flower is 1/4 to 1/3 inch long.
Flower color
Bluish-purple, marked with white
Flower shape
Irregular
Tubular
Yes
First bloom month
April
Last bloom month
July
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Basal tuft of palmately compound leaves on up to 3 inch long stems; 5 to 8 leaflets per leaf, leaflets spatulate, to 1/2 inch long and about 1/8 inch wide, hairy on the lower surface, mostly without hairs on upper surface.
Leaf type
Compound
Leaf color
Grayish-green
Leaf shape
Palmate
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Fruit is a hairy, broadly ovate and laterally compressed pod about 1/3 inch long.
Fruit type
Pod
Fruit color
Green turning to brown
Pod contains several pea-like seeds.