Thermopsis sp.
Golden pea, false-lupine, False-Lupine
(c) Siddarth Machado, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Siddarth Machado · licence
Family: Fabaceae · Type: Perennial · Native
Thermopsis sp. (Golden pea) is a native California perennial in the Fabaceae family.
How to tell it apart
vs Lupinus: Thermopsis has all stamens free and separate; Lupinus has stamens fused into a tube.; vs Genista: Thermopsis has compound palmate leaves; Genista has simple undivided leaves or is nearly leafless.; vs Lotus: Thermopsis grows in mountains with large yellow flowers; Lotus is lowland with tiny yellow flowers.; vs Cleomella: Thermopsis has pea flowers; Cleomella has four-petaled flowers with long stamens.; vs Acmispon: Thermopsis has large yellow flowers (15-25 mm); Acmispon has tiny yellow flowers under 10 mm.
Frequently asked questions
Is Thermopsis sp. native to California?
Yes. Thermopsis sp. is native to California (recorded as native).
What plant family does Thermopsis sp. belong to?
Thermopsis sp. is in the Fabaceae family, genus Thermopsis.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Thermopsis californica — California goldenbanner
- Thermopsis californica var. argentata — Silvery false-lupine
- Thermopsis californica var. californica — California goldenbanner
- Thermopsis californica var. semota — Velvety false-lupine
- Thermopsis gracilis — Slender goldenbanner
- Thermopsis macrophylla — Santa ynez false-lupine
- Trifolium albopurpureum — Indian clover
- Trifolium alexandrinum — Egyptian clover
- Trifolium amoenum — Two-fork clover
- Trifolium andersonii — Anderson's clover
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-04-14
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.