LUPINUS. Lupine. North and South America, Mediterranean area. A large group including annuals, perennials and shrubs, well represented in California. The stalked leaves are usually divided hand-like into several leaflets. Pea shaped blossoms are scattered or arranged in whorls along flowering stems at the shoot tips. Often they are highly colored and delightfully fragrant. The following are shrubby natives. Sun, well drained soil, occasional or no watering when established. All should be hardy at least to 15oF.
albifrons. A rounded shrub up to 5' tall, eventually developing a picturesque trunk. Both young stems and leaves are covered by silky hairs, giving the plant a silvery sheen. The leaves are of variable size, the leaflets usually narrow. In spring it gives a dazzling display. Spikes up to 1' long carry richly fragrant purple blossoms, marked with white and yellow. This is a perfect plant for dressing up bare banks and often colonizes roadcuts on its own. 10oF or less.
var. collinus. One of the most beautiful of all lupines, though best grown by benign neglect. It forms a silvery, deep-rooted mat from which incredible towers of violet to maroon blossoms, marked with white or yellow, issue in spring and early summer. Apart from the rock garden, this variety has its ideal site on bare banks, with no summer watering when established.
arboreus. Bush lupine. A coastal species often growing 6' or more tall, usually more openly branched than the last. It has reddish hairy stems and leaves which are dark green above, greyish green beneath. The flowering stems may be 1' long or more, displaying blossoms painted golden yellow or lavender to white. Blooming season is mostly spring and summer. The flowering stems should be removed before seed is set; otherwise the plant can self-destruct after a particularly heavy wave of bloom.
chamissonis. This is another coastal native, though quite distinct from the others. It usually grows 2-4’ high in the wild, a little larger in cultivation, and is closely branched. Both the stems and the leaves are clothed in silvery hairs. The flower clusters are shorter than those of L. arboreus, usually 6-8" long, but they are crowded with beautiful blossoms. These are of a soft chalky lavender and are beautifully framed by the foliage. It performs best near the coast and needs a sandy, fast-draining soil.