Lupinus argenteus var. meionanthus

Small flowered sierran lupine

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Small flowered sierran lupine is a California native perennial found in northern and central Sierra Nevada and eastern Sierra Nevada in dry banks, red fir and lodgepole pine forests, and sagebrush scrub at elevations of 1,500 to 3,500 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces dull blue to lilac flowers with a yellow banner spot, ranging 5 to 7 millimeters long. Growing 20 to 90 centimeters tall with an upright habit, it features stems covered in appressed silvery to gray-green foliage. Its cauline leaves are distinctively silvery, with an appressed texture that gives the plant a soft, muted appearance. The plant forms compact clusters characteristic of its high-elevation mountain habitats.

Habitat: dry banks, red fir and lodgepole pine forests, sagebrush scrub

Bloom period: Jul-Aug

Elevation: 1500-3500 m

Bioregions: n&ampc SNH, SNE

California counties: Mono, Tuolumne, Inyo, Alpine, Modoc, Placer, Nevada, Madera, Lassen, Plumas, El Dorado, Tehama, Amador, Shasta, Sierra

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