Lupinus pratensis
Encyclopedia
Lupinus pratensis is a species of lupin
e known by the common name Inyo meadow lupine. It is endemic to California
, where it grows in the central Sierra Nevada and adjacent plateau and valleys to the east. It grows in relatively moist habitat, such as streambanks and spring meadows. This is an erect perennial herb growing 30 to 70 centimeters tall. Each palmate leaf is made up of 5 to 10 narrow leaflets sometimes exceeding 10 centimeters long. The leaves are borne on long petioles
which can reach 25 centimeters in length. The herbage is green and coated in thin hairs. The inflorescence
is a dense raceme
of many flowers each around a centimeter long. The flower is dark blue or purple with a reddish or orange patch on its banner. The fruit is a hairy legume pod around 2 centimeters long.
There are two varieties of this species; the rarer, var. eriostachyus, is known only from the drainage of Big Pine Creek in Inyo County
.
Lupin
Lupinus, commonly known as Lupins or lupines , is a genus in the legume family . The genus comprises about 280 species , with major centers of diversity in South and western North America , and the Andes and secondary centers in the Mediterranean region and Africa Lupinus, commonly known as Lupins...
e known by the common name Inyo meadow lupine. It is endemic to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it grows in the central Sierra Nevada and adjacent plateau and valleys to the east. It grows in relatively moist habitat, such as streambanks and spring meadows. This is an erect perennial herb growing 30 to 70 centimeters tall. Each palmate leaf is made up of 5 to 10 narrow leaflets sometimes exceeding 10 centimeters long. The leaves are borne on long petioles
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
which can reach 25 centimeters in length. The herbage is green and coated in thin hairs. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a dense raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
of many flowers each around a centimeter long. The flower is dark blue or purple with a reddish or orange patch on its banner. The fruit is a hairy legume pod around 2 centimeters long.
There are two varieties of this species; the rarer, var. eriostachyus, is known only from the drainage of Big Pine Creek in Inyo County
Inyo County, California
-National protected areas:* Death Valley National Park * Inyo National Forest * Manzanar National Historic Site-Major highways:* U.S. Route 6* U.S. Route 395* State Route 127* State Route 136* State Route 168* State Route 178...
.