Lupinus albifrons var. collinus

Low-growing silver lupine

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Low-growing silver lupine is a California native perennial found in northwestern California, Sierra Nevada foothills, and central western California in cliff and forest opening habitats at elevations below 2,000 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces silvery-white to purple flowers approximately 10 to 15 millimeters long with a banner back often covered with fine hairs. Growing as a subshrub with a slightly woody base, it spreads prostrate to decumbent, reaching 20 to 40 centimeters tall with silvery-appressed foliage. Its compound leaves are clustered near the base, featuring 6 to 9 leaflets each 10 to 20 millimeters long, with distinctive silvery-green coloration. The plant's inflorescence extends 4 to 14 centimeters with a peduncle 6 to 10 centimeters long, creating a delicate, clustered flowering structure.

Habitat: Cliffs, forest openings

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: < 2000 m

Bioregions: NW, SNF, CW

California counties: El Dorado, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Los Angeles, Tulare, San Francisco, Lake, Monterey, San Diego, Sonoma, Contra Costa, Colusa, Mendocino, Marin, Tehama, Glenn, Alameda, Santa Barbara, Fresno, San Luis Obispo, San Benito, Shasta, Kern, Trinity, Nevada, Placer, Yuba, Calaveras, Amador, Butte, Siskiyou, Humboldt, Napa, Plumas, Ventura, Santa Cruz

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.