Carried by 5 nurseries
View Availability at NurseryData provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria
View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora
Lupinus formosus, the summer lupine, is a member of the lupine genus Lupinus in the Fabaceae family. This lupine is especially attractive to pollinators due to its summer-fall blooming season. Will spread slowly by rhizome. This species dies back in winter but usually resprouts in early spring. It is native to California. Lupinus formosus has been cited as a poisonous plant. Although it is not endangered it faces eradication in some areas at the hands of cattle farmers as it has been implicated in crooked calf disease. This lupine, along with five others, is poisonous from the time it starts growth in the spring until the seed pods shatter in late summer or early fall. However, the younger the plant the more toxic it is.
Perennial herb
8 - 31 in Tall
Purple
Summer, Fall
Full Sun
Low, Moderate
Slow
For propagating by seed: Fresh seeds need no treatment. Stored seeds scarification or hot water.
Dry clay soils, grassy places, open places, valleys
Chaparral, Foothill Woodland, Lodgepole Forest, Red Fir Forest, Subalpine Forest, Valley Grassland, Yellow Pine Forest
Butterflies and moths supported
2 confirmed and 54 likely
Boisduval's Blue
Icaricia icarioides
Mission Blue
Icaricia icarioides missionensis
Lupine Dagger
Acronicta lupini