Lupinus microcarpus
Chick lupine
no rights reserved · CC0
Family: Fabaceae · Type: Annual · Native
Lupinus microcarpus (Chick lupine) is a native California annual in the Fabaceae family.
Chick lupine is a California native annual found in various bioregions in open grasslands and disturbed areas at low elevations. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces white to dark yellow, pink to dark rose, or lavender to purple flowers 8 to 18 millimeters long with distinctively ciliate wing petals. Growing 10 to 80 centimeters tall with a clearly hollow stem that is sparsely to densely hairy, it develops an intricate branching structure. Its compound leaves have 5 to 11 leaflets, typically 9, ranging from 10 to 50 millimeters long and 2 to 12 millimeters wide, with an upper surface that is glabrous. The fruit is an erect to spreading ovate pod 1 to 1.5 centimeters long, typically growing on one side of the flower cluster and covered in fine hairs.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 0 sympatric species - geographically isolated
Habitat and range
California counties: Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Kern, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Modoc, Fresno, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Colusa, Merced, Siskiyou, Stanislaus, Glenn, Santa Clara, Tulare, San Diego, Trinity, Marin, Mendocino, Amador, Shasta, San Benito, Inyo, Yuba, Solano, Napa, Butte, Humboldt, Alameda, Tehama, Madera, Yolo, Sonoma, Calaveras, Lassen
How to tell it apart
vs Salvia: Lupine has pea flowers and palmate leaves; sage has tubular two-lipped flowers and opposite leaves.; vs Artemisia: Lupine has large showy flower spikes; sagebrush has tiny inconspicuous flowers and silvery aromatic foliage.; vs Thermopsis: Lupine typically has 7-11 leaflets; false lupine has exactly 3 leaflets and bright yellow flowers.; vs Delphinium: Lupine has pea flowers; larkspur has flowers with prominent backward-pointing spur.; vs Vicia: Lupine is upright with palmate leaves; vetch is climbing with pinnate leaves and tendrils.
Frequently asked questions
Is Lupinus microcarpus native to California?
Yes. Lupinus microcarpus is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Lupinus microcarpus grow?
Lupinus microcarpus occurs in Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Kern, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Ventura and other counties.
What plant family does Lupinus microcarpus belong to?
Lupinus microcarpus is in the Fabaceae family, genus Lupinus.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-09-30
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.