Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Lupinus stiversii is a species of lupine known by the common name harlequin lupine. It is endemic to California, where it has a disjunct distribution in several separate mountain ranges. It is a plant of the Sierra Nevada and its foothills, and populations also occur in the Transverse Ranges above Los Angeles and the Santa Lucia Mountains of Monterey County. It grows in open, dry habitat, such as forest clearings and exposed slopes. It is a hairy annual herb growing 10 to 50 centimeters tall with an erect, branching stem. Each palmate leaf is made up of usually 7 leaflets measuring 2 to 5 centimeters in length. The flower cluster is a dense array of a few flowers, often just one or two layers. The unique flower is between 1 and 2 centimeters long and is pink with a yellow banner. The fruit is a legume pod around 2 centimeters long containing usually 5 seeds. The plant was named for Army physician Dr. Charles Austin Stivers, who first collected it in 1862 near Yosemite.

Plant type

Annual herb

Size

4 - 19 in Tall

Calscape icon
Color

Yellow, Pink

Flowering season

Spring, Summer

Sun

Full Sun

Water

Moderate

Propagation

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

Sunset Zones

7*, 14, 15, 16, 18*

Site type

Open places

Plant communities

Foothill Woodland, Yellow Pine Forest

Birds
Bees
Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 38 likely

Confirmed Likely

Lupine Dagger

Acronicta lupini

Agrochola purpurea

Painted Tiger Moth

Arachnis picta

Alfalfa Looper Moth

Autographa californica