Lupinus onustus
Plumas lupine
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Family: Fabaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Lupinus onustus (Plumas lupine) is a native California herb in the Fabaceae family, recognized by distinctive serpentine habitat and large seeds.
Plumas lupine is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern high Sierra Nevada, and northern Sierra Nevada Mountains in dry banks and yellow pine forests at elevations of 500 to 2,000 meters. Flowering from April to September, this plant produces violet flowers 8 to 11 millimeters long with a distinctive banner and ciliate keel margins. Growing as a short, decumbent herb 20 to 30 centimeters tall with green, silky stems, it forms clustered stems near the base. Its leaves have 5 to 9 oblanceolate leaflets, 15 to 50 millimeters long, which are silky on the undersides and generally glabrous on top. The fruit is a hairy pod 3 to 4.5 centimeters long, containing 5 to 6 brown seeds.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 53 sympatric species; distinctive serpentine habitat and large seeds
Habitat and range
Habitat: dry banks, mostly yellow pine forest, on serpentine
Elevation: 500-2000 m
California counties: Siskiyou, Shasta, Plumas, Lassen, Del Norte, Trinity, Humboldt, El Dorado, Sierra
Outside California: southwestern Oregon
Bloom period
Lupinus onustus blooms Apr-Sep.
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 onustus native to California?
Yes. Lupinus onustus is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Lupinus onustus bloom?
Lupinus onustus blooms Apr-Sep.
Where in California does Lupinus onustus grow?
Lupinus onustus occurs in Siskiyou, Shasta, Plumas, Lassen, Del Norte, Trinity, Humboldt, El Dorado and other counties, at elevations of 500-2000 m.
What plant family does Lupinus onustus belong to?
Lupinus onustus is in the Fabaceae family, genus Lupinus.
What habitat does Lupinus onustus grow in?
Lupinus onustus grows in dry banks, mostly yellow pine forest, on serpentine.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.