Lupinus sericatus

Cobb mountain lupine, Cobb Mountain Lupine

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Cobb mountain lupine is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native perennial found in southern North Coast Ranges Interior including Napa, Lake, and Sonoma counties in open wooded slopes, chaparral, and lower montane conifer forest at elevations of 275 to 1,525 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces purple to violet flowers 12 to 16 millimeters long with distinctively hairy banner petals. Growing 15 to 50 centimeters tall with generally erect stems that are silver to gray-green and short-appressed-hairy, it forms a compact, clustered habit. Its leaves are composed of 4 to 7 widely spoon-shaped leaflets, each 30 to 50 millimeters long and densely silky in texture. The plant produces hairy fruits 2 to 3 centimeters long containing 3 to 7 light brown seeds.

Habitat: Open wooded slopes, broadleaf upland forest, chaparral, lower montane conifer forest

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: 275-1525 m

Bioregions: s NCoRI (Napa, Lake, Sonoma cos.).

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