Lupinus bicolor

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Rosids
Cladus: Eurosids I
Ordo: Fabales

Familia: Fabaceae
Subfamilia: Faboideae
Tribus: Genisteae
Genus: Lupinus
Species: Lupinus bicolor
Subspecies: L. b. subsp. bicolor – L. b. subsp. marginatus – L. b. subsp. pipersmithii – L. b. subsp. tridentatus – L. b. subsp. umbellatus

Varietates: L. b. var. rostratus – L. b. var. trifidus
Name

Lupinus bicolor Lindl., 1827
Homonyms

Lupinus bicolor (Merino) Rothm. = Lupinus gredensis Gand.

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Northern America
British Columbia, California, Mexican Pacific Is., Mexico Northwest, Oregon, Washington

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Lindley, J., 1827. Botanical Register; Consisting of Coloured Figures of Exotic Plants Cultivated in British Gardens; with their History and Mode of Treatment. London 13: t. 1109.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2021. Lupinus bicolor in Kew Science Plants of the World Online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2021 Jan 23. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2021. Lupinus bicolor. Published online. Accessed: Jan 23 2021. Reference page.
Tropicos.org 2021. Lupinus bicolor. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 23 Jan 2021.
Hassler, M. 2021. Lupinus bicolor. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2021. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published online. Accessed: 2021 Jan 23. Reference page.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Lupinus bicolor in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 07-Oct-06.

Vernacular names
English: miniature lupine

Lupinus bicolor is a species of lupine known as the miniature lupine, Lindley's annual lupine, pigmy-leaved lupine, or bicolor lupine.[1]

It is a showy flowering annual or perennial plant native to western North America, from northwestern Baja California, throughout California, and north to British Columbia. It is found in diverse habitats below 3,000 feet (910 m), including: grasslands; chaparral; oak, mixed conifer and Joshua tree woodlands; coastal sage scrub; and open conifer forests.[1] It often shares habitats with other prolifically blooming spring and early summer wildflowers, including the California poppy.[2]
Description

Lupinus bicolor has a short, hairy stem and thin, palmately-arranged leaves.

The inflorescence is short for a lupine, at up to 8 centimetres (3.1 in) tall. As its name suggests the flowers are usually two colors, with one often a deep blue. The other color is often white and sometimes a light purple or magenta. There are sometimes small speckles or spots on the petals.

The plant's hairy pods are quite small, only a couple of centimeters long and very thin, and they contain tiny brownish peas.
Varieties

This plant can be variable in appearance, and there are several varieties/subspecies whose relationships are as yet unclear. Varieties include:[3]

Lupinus bicolor var. rostratus — endemic to California.
Lupinus bicolor var. tridentatus — endemic to California.
Lupinus bicolor var. trifidus — endemic to California.
Lupinus bicolor var. umbellatus — endemic to California.

Cultivation

Lupinus bicolor is cultivated as an ornamental plant, from seed sown in native plant, drought tolerant, and wildlife gardens, and in natural landscaping and habitat restoration projects.[2][4]

The plants are of value to pollinators, including native bees and bumble bees.[2] At a local spatial scale, Lupinus bicolor was found to increase the abundance of the native Yellow-faced bumble bee (Bombus vosnesenskii) at restoration sites in Santa Barbara, CA.[5]
References

Jepson: Lupinus bicolor
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, NPIN−Native Plant Information Network: Lupinus bicolor
USDA: Subordinate taxa of Lupinus bicolor
Las Pilitas Horticulture Database: Lupinus bicolor (Pigmy-leaved Lupine)
Luong, Justin C.; Turner, Patrick L.; Phillipson, Celina N.; Seltmann, Katja C. (2019-02-12). "Local grassland restoration affects insect communities". Ecological Entomology. 44 (4): 471–479. doi:10.1111/een.12721. ISSN 0307-6946. S2CID 91394354.