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Lupinus pusillus

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Lupinus pusillus
Lupinus pusillus, Montana

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Lupinus
Species:
L. pusillus
Binomial name
Lupinus pusillus
Pursh
Lupinus pusillus in the Wyoming big sagebrush steppe biome, near Phillips, Montana.

Lupinus pusillus, the rusty lupine[2] or dwarf lupine, is an annual plant in the legume family (fabaceae) found in the Colorado Plateau and Canyonlands region of the southwestern United States(California),[3]: 159  and north to Montana.

Description

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Growth pattern

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It is an annual plant growing up to 9 inches (23 cm) tall. "Pusillus is for the small size of the plant.[3]: 159 

Leaves and stems

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Leaves are compound palmate with 3-9 12 to 1+12 inches (1.3 to 3.8 cm) long inversely lance- shaped leaflets.[3]: 159 

Plant stems and leaf stems (petioles) have long spreading hairs.[3]: 159 

Inflorescence and fruit

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It blooms from April to June.[3]: 159 

Flowers are in stalks of 4-38 and bluish to purple or bicolored, with a yellow spot on the upper petal.[3]: 159 

Seedpods are nearly oval and have constrictions separating the seeds.[3]: 159 

Habitat and range

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It can be found in desert shrubland and pinyon juniper woodland communities, from as far north as Washington, to California, and throughout the southwest.[3]: 159 

When growing in reddish sand, the blue flowers make a striking contrast with the sun at a low angle.[3]: 159 

Ecological and human interactions

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It is pollinated by bees.[3]: 159 

References

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  1. ^ NatureServe (2024). "Lupinus pusillus". Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  2. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "​Lupinus pusillus​". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Canyon Country Wildflowers, Damian Fagan, 2nd ed., 2012, Morris Bush Publishing, LLC. in cooperation with Canyonlands Natural History Association, ISBN 978-0-7627-7013-7