Lupinus lepidus var. ramosus

Branched dwarf lupine

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Branched dwarf lupine is a California native perennial found in central Sierra Nevada and eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains in subalpine habitats at elevations of 2,300 to 4,000 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces blue flowers with white to yellow banner spots, arranged in 3 to 7 well-spaced whorls. Growing 13 to 30 centimeters tall with decumbent to erect stems that are shaggy-hairy, it develops a distinctive low-growing habit. Its leaves have 5 to 15 leaflets, typically distributed from basal to cauline positions with a delicate, compact arrangement. The plant's slender inflorescence emerges above the leaves, creating an open, airy display of blue and white blooms characteristic of high-elevation alpine environments.

Habitat: Subalpine

Bloom period: Jul-Aug

Elevation: 2300-4000 m

Bioregions: c&amps SNH, SNE.

California counties: Mono, Fresno, Inyo, Tulare, Tuolumne, Madera, Alpine

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