About Lupinus grayi S.Watson
Lupinus grayi S.Watson is a species of lupine with the common name Sierra lupine. It is endemic to California, with a distribution that spans the full length of the Sierra Nevada and its foothills, and also includes the Tehachapi Mountains. It is a common plant in mountain forests, and sometimes forms dense carpets across meadows with its woolly green foliage and purple flower spikes. This is a low, prostrate perennial herb that forms spreading mats reaching 20 to 30 centimeters in height. Each palmate leaf consists of 5 to 11 leaflets that grow up to 3.5 centimeters long. The inflorescence bears dense whorls of flowers, each just over one centimeter long. Each flower is purple or blue, with a yellow or reddish patch on its banner petal. The fruit is a hairy legume pod that reaches up to 3.5 centimeters (1.4 inches) in length.
