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 Leaves Sue Carnahan @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: CC BY-NC (Attribution-Non-Commercial) |  Plant | | | | |
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Origin:
Native
Life Cycle:
Annual Similar Species: Lupinus odoratus
General Desc:
Branched, erect annual with thin, reddish, hairy stems and green leaves shaped like a hand with the fingers spread. Blue butterfly-like flowers, about 1/2 inch long, grow in loose clusters in a spiral pattern on spiked stalks that rise above the foliage.
Identification notes: Annual, dries green; leaflets 7 to 11, <1/2 inch long; flowers on loosely flowered elongated stems, keels usually hairy, upper lip deeply lobed; petals generally blue, drying darker, banner spot whitish, turns pinkish-purple; fruit pods 3 to 5-seeded.
Height:
To about 15 inches
Habitat Description: Found on rocky slopes, roadsides, open fields, creosote bush communities, foothills, mesas and washes, especially in areas with sandy soils.
Plant Communities:
Desert Scrub, Interior Chaparral, Semidesert Grasslands, Disturbed Areas
Elevation: Below 4500 feet
Color:
Blue, darker with age
Shape:
Irregular in elongated clusters
Tubular:
Y
Flowering Period:
Jan - May
Description:
Each flower has 5 petals that are usually blue but may be purple. The upper petal (banner) has a whitish spot with reddish dots in a yellow center that ages to a dark pinkish-purple spot. The 2 bottom petals (keel) are short, wide and have hairy edges.
Leaf Color:
Dark green
Leaf Type:
Compound
Leaf Shape:
Palmate
Leaf Margin:
Lobed
Leaf Attachment:
Alternate
Leaves Clasp:
N
Hairs:
Leaves and stems
Spines:
N
Leaf Description:
Stems have stiff, short, flat hairs and long, soft, spreading surface hairs. Leaves grow to about 3 inches long and consist of 7 to 11 finger-like leaflets nearly 1/2 inch long and about 1/16 inch wide. During the day, the leaflets rotate to face the sun.
Fruit Color: Bright green
Fruit Type: Pod
Fruit Notes: The fruit is about 3/4 inch long and 1/4 inch wide and curves upward on the plant. It has a covering of short, stiff, flat surface hairs and is slightly narrowed between the seeds giving it a flattened appearance.
Seed Notes: Each pod usually contains 3 to 5 seeds. When ripe, the pod bursts open to release the seeds in a process known as "explosive dehiscence" which enables the seeds to disperse by scattering them in many directions far from the parent plant.
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