Lupinus flavoculatus

Yellow eyed lupine

Family: Fabaceae · Type: annual · Native

Yellow eyed lupine is a California native annual found in western Inyo and eastern Mojave Desert Mountains in sand or gravel, creosote bush scrub, and pinyon/juniper woodland at elevations of 600 to 2,300 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces bright blue flowers with a distinctive yellow banner spot that turns purple, approximately 7 to 10 millimeters long. Growing 5 to 20 centimeters tall with crowded stems near the base, it has distinctive disk-like cotyledons that persist throughout its growth. Its leaves are compound with 7 to 9 leaflets, each 10 to 20 millimeters long and 5 to 8 millimeters wide, with smooth upper surfaces. The fruit is ovate, hairy, and typically develops on one side of the flower cluster, containing 1 to 2 wrinkled seeds.

Habitat: Sand or gravel, creosote bush scrub, pinyon/juniper woodland

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: < 600-2300 m

Bioregions: W&ampI, e DMoj

California counties: San Bernardino, Inyo, Kern, Fresno, Los Angeles, Stanislaus

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