Lupinus pusillus

Lupinus pusillus, the rusty lupine[1] or dwarf lupine, is an annual plant in the legume family (fabaceae) found in the Colorado Plateau and Canyonlands region of the southwestern United States,[2]:159 and north to Montana.

Lupinus pusillus
Lupinus pusillus, Montana
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Lupinus
Species:
L. pusillus
Binomial name
Lupinus pusillus
Pursh
Lupinus pusillus in the Wyoming big sagebrush steppe biome, near Phillips, Montana.

Description

Growth pattern

It is an annual plant growing up to 9 inches (23 cm) tall. "Pusillus is for the small size of the plant.[2]:159

Leaves and stems

Leaves are compound palmate with 3-9 1⁄2 to 1 1⁄2 inches (1.3 to 3.8 cm) long inversely lance- shaped leaflets.[2]:159

Plant stems and leaf stems (petioles) have long spreading hairs.[2]:159

Inflorescence and fruit

It blooms from April to June.[2]:159

Flowers are in stalks of 4-38 and bluish to purple or bicolored, with a yellow spot on the upper petal.[2]:159

Seedpods are nearly oval and have constrictions separating the seeds.[2]:159

Habitat and range

It can be found in desert shrubl and pinyon juniper woodland communities, from as far north as Washington, to California, and throughout the southwest.[2]:159

When growing in reddish sand, the blue flowers make a striking contrast with the sun at a low angle.[2]:159

Ecological and human interactions

It is pollinated by bees.[2]:159

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References
  1. "Lupinus pusillus". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  2. Canyon Country Wildflowers, Damian Fagan, 2nd ed., 2012, Morris Bush Publishing, LLC. in cooperation with Canyonlands Natural History Association, ISBN 978-0-7627-7013-7
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