''Lupinus albifrons'', silver lupine, white-leaf bush lupine, or evergreen lupine, is a species of

lupin ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet, is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centres of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centres occur in No ...

e (lupin). It is

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, where it grows along the coast and in dry and open meadows, prairies and forest clearings. It is a member of several plant communities, including

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 ...

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant plant community, community found primarily in California, southern Oregon, and northern Baja California. It is shaped by a Mediterranean climate (mild wet winters and hot dry summers) and infrequent, high-intens ...

, northern coastal scrub, foothill woodland, and yellow pine forest.

Description

''Lupinus albifrons'' is a

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

, taking up about of space and reaching . It has a light blue to violet flower on stalks. The leaves are silver with a feathery texture. It grows in sandy to rocky places below .

Cultivation

This plant grows as a wildflower in the hills and valleys of California. It requires good drainage and needs little water once the roots are established.

Toxicity to livestock

The plant is deer-resistant due to the presence of the bitter-tasting

alkaloid Alkaloids are a broad class of natural product, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. Some synthetic compounds of similar structure may also be termed alkaloids. Alkaloids are produced by a large varie ...

toxins anagyrine and lupinine.Effects of Experience and Lactation on Lupine Consumption by Cattle
/ref> Because of these toxins lupines can negatively affect livestock, causing birth defects and decreasing weight especially in young, inexperienced cattle. When cows are under stress from

lactating Lactation describes the secretion of milk from the mammary glands and the period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young. The process naturally occurs with all sexually mature female mammals, although it may predate mammals. The proces ...

, especially in times of low forage availability, they will consume more lupine than usual.

Mission blue butterfly

The federally endangered

mission blue butterfly The Mission blue (''Icaricia icarioides missionensis'') is a blue or lycaenid butterfly subspecies native to the San Francisco Bay Area of the United States. The butterfly has been declared as endangered by the US federal government. It is a s ...

requires either ''Lupinus albifrons'', '' Lupinus formosus'' and '' Lupinus variicolor'', on which their larvae feed. The butterfly becomes toxic itself when it feeds on the plant, leaving it with a bitter taste to deter predators. Due to its potential danger to livestock, this lupine is removed from

rangeland Rangelands are grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, wetlands, and deserts that are grazed by domestic livestock or wild animals. Types of rangelands include tallgrass and shortgrass prairies, desert grasslands and shrublands, woodlands, savanna ...

when possible, eliminating a crucial food plant from the butterfly's range.

Infraspecific taxa

''Lupinus albifrons'' has six different

varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

, four of which occur only in California, the other two occur in both California and Oregon: *''Lupinus albifrons'' var. ''albifrons'', silver lupine *''Lupinus albifrons'' var. ''collinus'', silver lupine *''Lupinus albifrons'' var. ''douglasii'', Douglas' silver lupine *'' Lupinus albifrons'' var. ''eminens'', silver lupine *''Lupinus albifrons'' var. ''flumineus'', silver lupine. *''Lupinus albifrons'' var. ''hallii'', syn. ''Lupinus paynei'', Payne's bush lupine.

Photos

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Lupinus albifrons''CalFlora - Lupinus albifronsLady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center''Lupinus albifrons'' - Photo gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4118548 albifrons Flora of California Flora of Oregon Flora of the Klamath Mountains Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Garden plants of North America Drought-tolerant plants Butterfly food plants