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Lupinus pusillus

intermountain lupine, low lupine, rusty lupine

Nootka lupine

Habit Herbs, annual, 0.5–2 dm, sparsely pubescent to pilose, hairs more than 1 mm. Herbs, perennial, (1–)4–10(–12) dm, hairs appressed to spreading, sparse to dense; caudex subterranean, woody.
Stems

short and tufted or erect, branched from base or near middle.

ascending to erect, clustered, unbranched or branched, sometimes thick, hollow.

Leaves

cauline, often crowded near base;

stipules well developed;

petiole 1–9 cm;

leaflets 5–9, blades 10–40 × 5–10 mm, adaxial surface glabrous.

cauline;

stipules 1–8 cm;

proximal petioles 3–8.5 cm, distal ones 2–7 cm;

leaflets 5–8(–15), blades (10–)20–50(–70) × 5–15 mm, abaxial surface long-villous, adaxial surface usually glabrous or glabrate.

Racemes

8–12-flowered, 2–11 cm, shorter than or slightly exceeding foliage;

flowers spirally arranged.

1.8–30 cm;

flowers in 1–15 whorls.

Peduncles

0–3.5 cm;

bracts persistent, straight, 2–5 mm.

(1–)4–9.5 cm;

bracts deciduous, 1–5 mm.

Pedicels

1–3.5 mm.

1–8 cm.

Flowers

5–12 mm;

calyx abaxial lobe entire, 5–6 mm, adaxial lobe cleft, 2.5–4 mm;

corolla vivid blue, sometimes paler or white, sometimes bicolored, banner spot white or yellowish, keel glabrous.

11–21 mm;

calyx bulge or spur 0–1 mm, abaxial lobe entire or deeply lobed, 6–12 mm, adaxial lobe 2-lobed or cleft less than 1/3 length, 6–8 mm;

corolla usually bluish purple, sometimes pink, rarely white, banner glabrous abaxially, adaxial keel glabrous or densely ciliate along most of adaxial edge.

Legumes

1.5 cm, constricted between seeds, thinly pilose to coarsely hirsute.

3–6 cm, silky.

Cotyledons

persistent, disclike, sessile.

deciduous, petiolate.

Seeds

2, wrinkled or ridged.

7–11.

Lupinus pusillus

Lupinus nootkatensis

Distribution
from USDA
w North America; c North America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
n North America; Europe; Atlantic Islands (Iceland)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

Lupinus pusillus is a highly variable species, with the varieties intergrading.

(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. Peduncles 0–1 cm; racemes shorter than foliage; flowers 6–8 mm.
var. intermontanus
1. Peduncles usually 1–3.5 cm; racemes equal to or longer than foliage; flowers 7–12 mm.
→ 2
2. Pedicels and calyx tubes strigose.
var. pusillus
2. Pedicels and calyx tubes glabrous.
var. rubens
1. Hairs spreading, long and shaggy; stems 10–15 mm diam.; bracts 16–19 mm.
var. nootkatensis
1. Hairs finely silky-sericeous; stems 6–7(–9) mm diam.; bracts 7–13 mm.
var. fruticosus
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. 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
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. 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. pusillus var. intermontanus, L. pusillus var. pusillus, L. pusillus var. rubens
L. nootkatensis var. fruticosus, L. nootkatensis var. nootkatensis
Synonyms L. perennis var. nootkatensis
Name authority Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 2: 468. 1814[1813] Donn ex Sims: Bot. Mag. 32: plate 1311. (1810)
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