About Lupinus pratensis A.Heller
Lupinus pratensis A.Heller is a species of lupine with the common name Inyo meadow lupine. It is endemic to California, growing in the central Sierra Nevada and the adjacent plateau and valleys to its east. It occurs in relatively moist habitats, including streambanks and spring meadows.
This plant is an erect perennial herb that grows 30 to 70 centimetres (12 to 28 inches) tall. Each palmate leaf is composed of 5 to 10 narrow leaflets, which sometimes grow over 10 centimetres (3.9 inches) long. Leaves are borne on long petioles that can reach 25 centimetres (9.8 inches) in length. The green herbage of the plant is coated in thin hairs.
The plant's inflorescence is a dense raceme holding many flowers, each flower around one centimeter long. Flowers are dark blue or purple, with a reddish or orange patch on their banner. The fruit is a hairy legume pod that grows around 2 centimetres (0.79 inches) long. This species has two varieties; the rarer variety, L. pratensis var. eriostachyus, is known only from the Big Pine Creek drainage in Inyo County, California.
