Lupinus longifolius

Longleaf bush lupine

Family: Fabaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Longleaf bush lupine is a California native shrub found in southwestern California's coastal sage scrub and chaparral, ranging from coastal bluffs to inland canyons at elevations below 500 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces violet to blue flowers with a yellow or white banner spot, arranged in clusters 20 to 45 centimeters long. Growing 10 to 15 decimeters tall with erect, greenish stems covered in soft short hairs, it develops a distinctive branching structure. Its compound leaves have 5 to 10 leaflets, each 30 to 60 millimeters long, supported by stipules 5 to 14 millimeters in length and petioles 4 to 10 centimeters long. The fruit is a dark, hairy pod 4 to 6 centimeters long, containing 6 to 8 brown to gray seeds.

Habitat: Coastal sage scrub, chaparral, coastal bluffs to inland canyons

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: < 500(1000) m

Bioregions: SW.

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