''Lupinus bicolor'' is a species of lupine known as the miniature lupine, Lindley's annual lupine, pigmy-leaved lupine, or bicolor lupine.Jepson: ''Lupinus bicolor''
/ref> It is a showy flowering annual or perennial plant native to western North America, from northwestern Baja California, throughout California, and north to British Columbia. It is found in diverse habitats below , including: grasslands;

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean c ...

; oak, mixed conifer and Joshua tree woodlands;

coastal sage scrub Coastal sage scrub, also known as coastal scrub, CSS, or soft chaparral, is a low scrubland plant community of the California coastal sage and chaparral subecoregion, found in coastal California and northwestern coastal Baja California. It is w ...

; and open conifer forests. It often shares habitats with other prolifically blooming spring and early summer wildflowers, including the California poppy.Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, NPIN−Native Plant Information Network: ''Lupinus bicolor''
/ref>

Description

''Lupinus bicolor'' has a short, hairy stem and thin, palmately-arranged leaves. The inflorescence is short for a lupine, at up to tall. As its name suggests the flowers are usually two colors, with one often a deep blue. The other color is often white and sometimes a light purple or magenta. There are sometimes small speckles or spots on the petals. The plant's hairy pods are quite small, only a couple of centimeters long and very thin, and they contain tiny brownish peas.

Varieties

This plant can be variable in appearance, and there are several varieties/subspecies whose relationships are as yet unclear. Varieties include: *''Lupinus bicolor'' var. ''rostratus'' — endemic to California. *''Lupinus bicolor'' var. ''tridentatus'' — endemic to California. *''Lupinus bicolor'' var. ''trifidus'' — endemic to California. *''Lupinus bicolor'' var. ''umbellatus'' — endemic to California.

Cultivation

''Lupinus bicolor'' is cultivated as an ornamental plant, from seed sown in native plant, drought tolerant, and wildlife gardens, and in natural landscaping and habitat restoration projects. The plants are of value to pollinators, including native bees and bumble bees. At a local spatial scale, ''Lupinus bicolor'' was found to increase the abundance of the native Yellow-faced bumble bee (''Bombus vosnesenskii'') at restoration sites in Santa Barbara, CA.

References

External links

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Calflora Database: ''Lupinus bicolor'' (Bicolored lupine, miniature lupine)USDA Plants Profile for ''Lupinus bicolor''Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Lupinus bicolor''UC Photos gallery — ''Lupinus bicolor''
{{- bicolor Flora of British Columbia Flora of Baja California Flora of California Flora of Oregon Flora of Washington (state) Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of the Central Valley (California) Natural history of the Channel Islands of California Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges Natural history of the San Francisco Bay Area Natural history of the Transverse Ranges Garden plants of North America Drought-tolerant plants Flora without expected TNC conservation status