Common name:
Inyo meadow lupine
Family:
Scientific name:
Lupinus pratensis
Main flower color:
Range:
The southern Sierra Nevada, California
Height:
Up to 27 inches
Habitat:
Streambanks, wet meadows and other moist places in mountainous locations, from 6,000 to 13,000 feet
Leaves:
Sparsely strigose-hairy, divided into between 5 and 10 narrow, oblanceolate leaflets, up to 3 inches long
Season:
May to September
Lupinus pratensis is found mainly in the southern Sierra Nevada, plus a few isolated areas to the east. Leaves grow at the base and along the stem, and they have a sparse covering of very short hairs. Leaflets are relatively long and narrow, while leaf stalks are also long, up to 10 inches for those near the base. Stems are more obviously hairy, especially towards the top.
Flowers are arranged in closely-spaced whorls, and are subtended by leafy bracts. The calyx is divided into two unlobed lips, strigose-hairy, while the rear of the banner petal may also be hairy (var eriostachyus) though is usually not (the more widespread var pratensis). Flowers are variously blue, purple or yellowish, with the darkest colors found at the center of the banner petal and the tip of the keel. Petals, especially the banner petal, become brown as they wither. The banner petal has a prominent groove down the middle, while the side margins are bent backwards.
Flowers are arranged in closely-spaced whorls, and are subtended by leafy bracts. The calyx is divided into two unlobed lips, strigose-hairy, while the rear of the banner petal may also be hairy (var eriostachyus) though is usually not (the more widespread var pratensis). Flowers are variously blue, purple or yellowish, with the darkest colors found at the center of the banner petal and the tip of the keel. Petals, especially the banner petal, become brown as they wither. The banner petal has a prominent groove down the middle, while the side margins are bent backwards.
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