Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Lupinus nanus ("Sky Lupine", "Field Lupine", "Dwarf Lupin" or "Douglas' Annual Lupine"), is a species in the Fabaceae (Legume) family native to the western United States. It grows abundantly in chaparral clearings and along slopes in California, Nevada, and eastern Oregon. In California it is most common in the Coast Ranges and Sierra foothills. As an annual, it is best grown from seed (see instructions below) and will self-sow. 

Plant type

Annual herb

Size

4 - 24 in Tall
1 ft Wide

Form

Pyramidal, Spreading

Growth rate

Fast

Dormancy

Summer Deciduous

Fragrance

Pleasant

Calscape icon
Color

Blue, Lavender

Flowering season

Winter, Spring

Special uses

Containers

Sun

Full Sun

Water

Moderate

Summer irrigation

Max 2x / month once established

Ease of care

Moderate

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to 30 °F

Soil drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil description

Tolerates sandy or clay soils.
Soil PH: 5.4 - 7.7

Propagation

For propagating by seed: Fresh seeds need no treatment. Stored seeds scarification or hot water. No treatment may give fair germination.

Site type

Openings in chapparal slopes near the coast and interior foothills

Plant communities

Coastal Prairie, Coastal Sage Scrub, Foothill Woodland, Northern Coastal Scrub, Valley Grassland

Use with medium size shrubs that won't overwhelm it, such as California Brittlebush (Encelia californica), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.), Ceanothus spp. Redberry (Rhamnus crocea); with succulents such as Dudleya spp., Yucca (Hesperoyucca spp. and Yucca spp.) and cacti; with other wildflowers such as California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica), Penstemon spp., Clarkia spp.; and with geophytes such as Wild Onions (Allium spp.), Brodiaea spp., Mariposa Lily (Calochortus spp.), Dichelostemma spp.

Bats
Birds
Bees
Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 53 likely

Confirmed Likely

Lupine Dagger

Acronicta lupini

Agrochola purpurea

Painted Tiger Moth

Arachnis picta

Oso Flaco Flightless Moth

Areniscythris brachypteris