Leaves: Arizona Lupine has green palmatelycompound leaves; the upper leaf surface is is without hairs or other ornamentation (glabrous).
Flower Color: Arizona Lupine has pea-shaped flowers that are showy pink or magenta, drying violet, blue-purple or whitish; the are 20 to 50 flowers in a tall hairy spike; the fruit is a pod.
Flowering Season: January to May, March to May in California.
Elevation: Below 3,500 feet (1,067 m).
Habitat Preferences: Found in both the Mojave and Sonoran deserts in in rocky hillsides, sandy soils, along washes and open Creosote bush communities.
Recorded Range:Native to AZ, CA and NV; also native to Baja California and northwestern Mexico.
Genus Information: In North America, USDA Plants Database lists 356 species for Lupinus which includes sub-species and varieties. Worldwide, World Flora Online includes 630 accepted species names for the genus. The Plant List lists 626 species of Lupinus and an additional 446 of infraspecific rank for the genus Lupinus.
Members of the genus Lupine are native to North and South America and also to North Africa and the Mediterranean.
In the Southwestern United States: Arizona has 26 species of Lupinus, California has 94 species, Nevada has 40 species, New Mexico has 19 species, Texas has 8 species, Utah has 25 species. Data approximate, subject to revision.
There are 3 sub-species in Lupinus arizonicus;
Lupinus arizonicus subsp. arizonicus, Arizona Lupine, (AZ, CA, NV);
Lupinus arizonicus subsp. sonorensis, Sonora Lupine, (AZ only);
There are 2 varieties in Lupinus arizonicus;
Lupinus arizonicus var. arizonicus
Lupinus arizonicus var. brevior
Comments: Arizona Lupine is one of several Lupines and is not limited in distribution to Arizona. It is also found in California and parts of Nevada. In southern California, this Lupine is San Diego County's most common Lupine and it is also common around Joshua Tree National Park and Death Valley National Park in California.
Arizona Lupine is similar in size and appearance to another common Lupine, Coulter's Lupine Lupinus sparsiflorus; however the leaflets on Arizona Lupine are not nearly as narrow and Coulter's Lupine generally does not have white flowers.
Arizona Lupine, Lupinus arizonicus has attractive flowers, the flowers and their seeds may be visited by hummingbirds and/or small mammals including rodents and granivorous birds in search of nectar or food.
Beneficial Value to Butterflies, Honey Bees and Insects
Lupinus arizonicus has attractive flowers, the flowers and their plants may be visited by butterflies, moths, flies, honeybees, Native Bees and other insects in search of food and nectar.
Etymology:
The genus “Lupinus” (Lupi'nus:) is from the Latin words lupus or lupinus for "wolf," a reference to the earlier thoughts that the plants were robbing soil or nutrients; Lupinus species actually replenishes the soil.
