Lupinus pusillus, the rusty lupine[1] or dwarf lupine, is an annual plant in the legume family (fabaceae) found in the Colorado Plateau and Canyonlands region of the southwestern United States(California),[2]: 159 and north to Montana.
| Lupinus pusillus | |
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| Lupinus pusillus, Montana | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Lupinus |
| Species: | L. pusillus
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| Binomial name | |
| Lupinus pusillus Pursh
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Description edit
Growth pattern edit
It is an annual plant growing up to 9 inches (23 cm) tall. "Pusillus is for the small size of the plant.[2]: 159
Leaves and stems edit
Leaves are compound palmate with 3-9 1⁄2 to 1+1⁄2 inches (1.3 to 3.8 cm) long inversely lance- shaped leaflets.[2]: 159
Plant stems and leaf stems (petioles) have long spreading hairs.[2]: 159
Inflorescence and fruit edit
It blooms from April to June.[2]: 159
Flowers are in stalks of 4-38 and bluish to purple or bicolored, with a yellow spot on the upper petal.[2]: 159
Seedpods are nearly oval and have constrictions separating the seeds.[2]: 159
Habitat and range edit
It can be found in desert shrubland and pinyon juniper woodland communities, from as far north as Washington, to California, and throughout the southwest.[2]: 159
When growing in reddish sand, the blue flowers make a striking contrast with the sun at a low angle.[2]: 159
Ecological and human interactions edit
It is pollinated by bees.[2]: 159
References edit
- ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Lupinus pusillus". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Canyon Country Wildflowers, Damian Fagan, 2nd ed., 2012, Morris Bush Publishing, LLC. in cooperation with Canyonlands Natural History Association, ISBN 978-0-7627-7013-7