Lupinus obtusilobus

Satin lupine

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Satin lupine is a native perennial found in the northwestern California, Cascade Range, and northern Sierra Nevada Mountains in gravelly summits, red fir, and subalpine forests at elevations of 1,500 to 3,500 meters. Flowering from June to September, this plant produces blue to lilac flowers with yellow or white banner spots, arranged in whorled clusters 3 to 7 centimeters long. Growing 15 to 30 centimeters tall with decumbent to erect stems covered in appressed silvery-silky hairs, it has a distinctive appearance. Its leaves are compound with 6 to 7 leaflets, each 20 to 50 millimeters long, arranged on short 2 to 5 millimeter petioles. The fruit is a silky pod 2.5 to 4 centimeters long, containing 4 to 5 mottled brown seeds.

Habitat: Gravelly summits, red fir and subalpine forests

Bloom period: Jun-Sep

Elevation: 1500-3500 m

Bioregions: NW, CaR, n SNH.

California counties: Trinity, Siskiyou, Shasta, Humboldt, Glenn, Tehama, Lassen, Plumas, Butte, Sierra, Mendocino, Nevada, Del Norte, Lake

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