Miniature Lupine
Lupinus bicolor
The miniature lupine is a small annual lupine, growing up to 16 inches in height. The many short, gray stems sprout similarly colored palmately compound leaves. The hairy leaves are composed of 5-7 crimped leaflets. The flower clusters perched on the short stems are composed of blue to magenta pea flowers with a speckled white banner. The petite flower cluster is short for a lupine, only 8 cm tall at its largest. The seed pods, thin and only a few centimeters long, contain tiny brownish peas.
Basic Information
Member of the Fabaceae, or pea, family
Annual herb
Habitat
Native from Vancouver Island south to Southern California
Found in a variety of habitats, including coastal scrub, conifer forests, mixed evergreen forests, foothill woodlands, and grasslands
Often blooms in huge numbers alongside the California poppy
Ecological Role
Frequented by bumblebees and other native bees
Host plant to the larva of several butterfly species including silvery blue (Glaucopsyche lygdamus), painted lady (Vanessa carduii), acmon blue (Plebejus acmon), and Arrowhead Blue butterflies
Like other lupines, it is nitrogen-fixing and good for restoring soil
Reproduction
Blooms from March to June
Seed pods explode, flinging the seeds to potentially fertile ground
Alternative Names
Bicolored Lupine, Miniature Annual Lupine, Pygmy-leaved Lupine, Miniature Lupine Due To Its Diminutive Size
Historical Uses
The Miwok and other tribes used the green leaves as a top layer over hot stones to create an earth oven
