Flower Color: Coulter's Lupine has blue, purple, pinkish or whitish pea-like flowers that dry darker; the fruit is a pod that literally bursts open.
Flowering Season: January or February through May.
Elevation: Below 4,500 feet (1,371 m).
Habitat Preferences: Rocky slopes, roadsides, open fields, creosote bush communities, foothills, mesas, washes, Joshua Tree communities, coastal range scrub, generally preferring sandy soils.
Recorded Range: In the United States, Coulter's Lupine is native to Southwestern North America where it is found in: AZ, CA, NM, NV and UT. It is also native to Baja California and northern 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.
Comments: Coulter's Lupine or Mojave Lupine is one of the most common Lupines where found in the southwest and in good rainfall years this species often blankets roadsides with their bright blue or violet color.
Coulter's Lupine, Lupinus sparsiflorus 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
Coulter's Lupine, Lupinus sparsiflorus 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.
****Special Value to Native Bees****
According to The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation or other source, Coulter's Lupine, Lupinus sparsiflorus, is recognized by pollination ecologists as attracting large numbers of Native bees. Click here for more information on their Pollinator Conservation Program.
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.
