Bicolor lupine

Lupinus bicolor

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

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 , including: grasslands; chaparral; oak, mixed conifer and Joshua tree woodlands; coastal sage scrub; and open conifer forests. It often shares habitats with other prolifically blooming spring and early summer wildflowers, including the California poppy.
Miniature Lupine A small plant about a foot high with small clusters of beautiful bright blue flowers. I observed what looked like fused keel petals but these were wing petals enclosing the keel. The banner petal had white patches that made each flower look like a little bonnet.
Leaves were palmate with long narrow leaflets and covered with silvery hairs.
Seen growing in patches on open grassland - Cardinia Reservoir Park. Australia,Bicolor lupine,Geotagged,Lupinus bicolor,Spring,miniature lupine

Appearance

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

The inflorescence is short for a lupine, at up to 8 centimetres 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.

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Taxonomy
KingdomPlantae
DivisionAngiosperms
ClassEudicots
OrderFabales
FamilyFabaceae
GenusLupinus
SpeciesL. bicolor