Lupinus stiversii
Lupinus stiversii | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
(unranked): | Angiosperms |
(unranked): | Eudicots |
(unranked): | Rosids |
Order: | Fabales |
Family: | Fabaceae |
Subfamily: | Faboideae |
Tribe: | Genisteae |
Genus: | Lupinus |
Species: | L. stiversii |
Binomial name | |
Lupinus stiversii Kellogg | |
Lupinus stiversii is a species of lupine known by the common name harlequin lupine. The plant was named for Army physician Dr. Charles Austin Stivers, who first collected it in 1862 near Yosemite.[1]
Distribution
Lupinus stiversii is endemic to California, where it has a disjunct distribution in several separate mountain ranges. It is a plant of the Sierra Nevada and its foothills, and populations also occur in the Transverse Ranges above Los Angeles and the Santa Lucia Mountains of Monterey County.[1]
It grows in open, dry habitat, such as chaparral and forest clearings and exposed slopes.
Description
Lupinus stiversii is a hairy annual herb growing 10 to 50 centimeters tall with an erect, branching stem. Each palmate leaf is made up of usually 7 leaflets measuring 2 to 5 centimeters in length.
The inflorescence is a dense array of a few flowers, often just one or two layers. The unique flower is between 1 and 2 centimeters long and is pink with a yellow banner. The fruit is a legume pod around 2 centimeters long containing usually 5 seeds.