Thermopsis macrophylla

Santa ynez false-lupine, Santa Ynez False-Lupine

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.3

Santa ynez false-lupine is a rare (CNPS 1B.3) California native perennial found in the Santa Ynez Mountains in sandstone chaparral at elevations of 1,000 to 1,400 meters. Flowering from May to June, this plant produces yellow flowers in elongated clusters with 3 to 5 blossoms per node. Growing 1.2 to 2.5 meters tall with erect, stout stems that branch at the base and are covered in gray hairs, it has a robust and distinctive appearance. Its compound leaves feature leaflets 4 to 10 centimeters long, densely covered in long, soft, wavy hairs with 12 to 16 lateral veins, giving the plant a distinctly textured look. The fruit is straight, ascending, and densely hairy, completing the plant's characteristically soft and gray-green profile.

Habitat: Sandstone, chaparral

Bloom period: May-Jun

Elevation: 1000-1400 m

Bioregions: WTR (Santa Ynez Mtns).

California counties: Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, San Diego, Humboldt, Sonoma, Napa, Monterey, Lake, Santa Cruz, Marin, Ventura, Siskiyou, Del Norte, Mendocino, Santa Clara

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