| Lupinus microcarpus | ||||||||||||||
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 Lupinus microcarpus var. densiflorus | ||||||||||||||
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| Lupinus microcarpus Sims | ||||||||||||||
Lupinus microcarpus (Wide-bannered Lupine or Chick Lupine), is a species of lupine native to western North America from southwestern British Columbia south to the Mojave Desert in California and Baja California, and also a disjunct population in South America in central Chile and western Argentina. It grows from sea level in the north of the range, up to 1600 m in southern California.
It is an annual plant growing to 80 cm tall. The leaves are palmately compound with 5-11 leaflets 1-5 cm long and up to 1 cm broad. The flowers are generally pink to purple in color, but can also be between white and yellow; they are produced in open whorls on an erect spike.
There are three varieties:
- Lupinus microcarpus var. densiflorus. Restricted to western California.
- Lupinus microcarpus var. horizontalis. Restricted to southeastern California.
- Lupinus microcarpus var. microcarpus. Widespread, British Columbia to Chile.
References
- Germplasm Resources Information Network: Lupinus microcarpus
- Jepson Flora Project: Lupinus microcarpus (click on 'next taxon' for details of varieties)
- Mojave Desert Wildflowers, Jon Mark Stewart, 1998, pg. 137