Lupinus argenteus var. montigenus

Long petioled silver lupine

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Long petioled silver lupine is a California native perennial found in central Sierra Nevada and eastern Sierra Nevada in dry, open montane forest and sagebrush scrub at elevations of 2,500 to 3,500 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces blue to violet flowers with a distinctive yellow to cream-colored spot on the banner. Growing 20 to 40 centimeters tall with densely silver-hairy stems and a spreading growth habit, it has distinctively long leaf stalks measuring 7 to 15 centimeters. Its leaves feature palmate leaflets with notably long petioles, creating an elegant, silver-touched appearance. The flowers are compact, measuring 9 to 12 millimeters long, with a banner petal that has short hairs on its back surface.

Habitat: Dry, open montane forest, sagebrush scrub

Bloom period: Jul-Aug

Elevation: 2500-3500 m

Bioregions: c SNH, SNE

California counties: Mono, Inyo, Alpine, Tuolumne

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