Duration: Annual

Nativity: Native

Lifeform: Forb/Herb

General: Annual 20-40 cm, short-appressed and long spreading hairy stems.

Leaves: Petiole 3-4 cm, leaflets 7-11, 15-30 mm, 2-4 mm wide, linear to oblanceoate, upper surface hairy at least near margins.

Flowers: Spiraled raceme, 15-20 cm tall, sometimes appearing more or less wide, linear to oblanceoate, upper surface hairy at least near margins; flowers 10-12 mm, calyx 3-6 mm, lips equal, upper lip deeply lobed; petals generally blue, drying darker, banner spot whitish becoming magenta, lower margins of keel ciliate near claw.

Fruits: Pods 1-2 cm, 5 mm wide, coarsely hairy.

Ecology: Found in washes and in sandy areas below 4,500 ft (1372 m); flowers March-May.

Notes: Common in spring with favorable rains, when vigorous they are semisucculent. There are several subspecies which make a collection worthwhile to determine the precise identity.

Ethnobotany: No known uses.

Etymology: Lupinus comes from Latin for wolf, while sparsiflorus means sparsely flowered.

Synonyms: None

Editor: SBuckley, 2010