''Lupinus cervinus'' is a species of
lupine known by the common name Santa Lucia lupine. It is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to the
Santa Lucia Mountains
The Santa Lucia Mountains (sæntə luˈsiːə) or Santa Lucia Range is a rugged mountain range in coastal central California, running from Carmel southeast for to the Cuyama River in San Luis Obispo County. The range is never more than from ...
in the
Central Coast Ranges in
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
,
where it is an uncommon member of the flora in the mountain forests. This is a hairy gray-green perennial herb growing up to tall. The erect stem is surrounded by clusters of spreading leaves. Each
palmate leaf is made up of 4 to 8 leaflets up to long and wide, which is wider than the leaflets of most lupines. The
inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...
bears many flowers, sometimes in
whorls
A whorl ( or ) is an individual circle, oval, volution or equivalent in a whorled pattern, which consists of a spiral or multiple concentric objects (including circles, ovals and arcs).
Whorls in nature
File:Photograph and axial plane floral ...
, each between and long. The
flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
is often bright pink, but may be shades of blue to nearly white. There is often a yellow patch on the banner. The fruit is a hairy
legume pod up to long.
References
External links
Jepson Manual Treatment*Ventana Wilderness Alliance
Summer 1999.
*
ttp://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?query_src=photos_index&where-taxon=Lupinus+cervinus Photo gallery
cervinus
Endemic flora of California
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
{{Lupinus-stub