''Lupinus benthamii'' is a species of
lupine known by the common name spider lupine.
Distribution
The plant is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...
to central
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 ...
, where it is known from the
Central Coast Ranges across the
Central Valley into the
Sierra Nevada foothills. It is common in some areas, covering hillsides with its blue blooms in the spring.
Description
''Lupinus benthamii'' is a hairy annual herb growing tall. Each palmate leaf is made up of 7 to 10 leaflets each up to long. They are narrow and linear in shape, just a few millimeters wide.
The
inflorescence
In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...
is an erect
raceme
A raceme () or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate growth, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are ...
of flowers up to tall, the flowers sometimes arranged in whorls. The flower is between 1 and 2 centimeters long and bright to deep blue in color, generally with a white or pink spot on the banner, or upper petal.
The fruit is a hairy
legume
Legumes are plants in the pea family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consum ...
pod about long.
References
External links
*
Jepson Manual Treatment for ''Lupinus benthamii''''Lupinus benthamii'' — UC Photo gallery
benthamii
Endemic flora of California
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)
Taxa named by Amos Arthur Heller
Plants described in 1830
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
{{Lupinus-stub