Lupinus tidestromii

Tidestrom's lupine

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1 · Endangered

Tidestrom's lupine is a rare California native perennial ranked 1B.1 by CNPS, found in southern North Coast and central Coast ranges including Sonoma, Marin, and Monterey counties on coastal dunes and beaches at elevations below 100 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces light blue to lavender flowers with white to yellow spots that turn violet, approximately 11 to 13 millimeters long. Growing with weak, prostrate stems 10 to 30 centimeters tall and covered in white shaggy hairs, it has a sprawling habit with sometimes weak rhizomes. Its leaves have 3 to 5 leaflets, each 5 to 20 millimeters long, carried on petioles 1 to 3 centimeters in length. The fruit is a shaggy-hairy pod 2 to 3 centimeters long, containing 5 to 8 mottled brown and tan seeds.

Habitat: Dunes, beaches

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: < 100 m

Bioregions: s NCo (Sonoma Co.), n&ampc CCo (Marin, Monterey cos.).

California counties: Monterey, San Mateo, Marin, Sonoma, Humboldt

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