Lupinus arboreus

Coastal bush lupine, Yellow Bush Lupine

Family: Fabaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Coastal bush lupine is a California native shrub found in coastal bioregions including the North Coast, Central Coast, San Francisco Bay Area, Southern California Coast, and Channel Islands, primarily on coastal bluffs and dunes at elevations below 100 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces yellow flowers (occasionally lilac to purple, especially north of central North Coast), with blooms 14 to 18 millimeters long featuring a banner with a darker or white spot. Growing up to 2 meters tall with erect green to silver-hairy stems, it forms an upright, well-structured shrub. Its compound leaves have 5 to 12 leaflets, each 2 to 6 centimeters long, with distinctive stipules 8 to 12 millimeters in length. The fruit develops as a 4 to 7 centimeter pod, turning brown to black and covered in fine hairs.

Habitat: Coastal bluffs, dunes, or more inland

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: < 100 m

Bioregions: NCo, CCo, SnFrB, SCo, ChI (probably naturalized n of Sonoma Co.).

California counties: Humboldt, Santa Barbara, Monterey, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, San Mateo, Mendocino, San Luis Obispo, Ventura, Los Angeles, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Diego, Sacramento, Marin, Del Norte, Santa Clara, San Bernardino, Madera, San Benito, Solano

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