Lupinus albifrons var. douglasii

Long-bracted silver lupine

Family: Fabaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Long-bracted silver lupine is a California native shrub found in coastal areas including the central Coast Ranges, San Francisco Bay Area, southern Coast Ranges, Channel Islands, and western Transverse Ranges in coastal scrub, chaparral, and open woodland at elevations below 500 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces silvery-white to purple flowers in elongated clusters 10 to 15 centimeters long. Growing as an erect shrub 1 to 2 meters tall with distinctively silver-silky foliage, it develops a robust branching structure. Its compound leaves feature 7 to 9 leaflets, each 2.5 to 4.5 centimeters long, with prominent stipules 10 to 20 millimeters in length. The flower's banner is sparsely hairy, giving the plant a soft, lustrous appearance characteristic of its coastal habitats.

Habitat: Common. Coastal scrub, chaparral, open woodland

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: < 500 m

Bioregions: CCo, nw SnFrB, s SCoRO, ChI, w WTR.

California counties: Alameda, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, Butte, Kern, Marin, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Contra Costa, 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.