Lupinus albicaulis
Encyclopedia
Lupinus albicaulis is a species of lupin
e known by the common name sickle-keel lupine. It is native to the western United States from Washington to California
, where it grows mostly in mountain habitat. It is a hairy, erect perennial herb often exceeding a meter in height. Each palmate leaf is made up of 5 to 10 leaflets each up to 7 centimeters long. The inflorescence
is up to 44 centimeters long, bearing whorls of flowers each 1 to 1.6 centimeters long. The flower is purple to yellowish or whitish in color and has a sickle
-shaped keel. The fruit is a silky-hairy legume pod up to 5 centimeters long containing several seeds. In Oregon
, where the plant is native, it has been cultivated for several uses, including reforestation
and revegetation of roadsides and other disturbed habitat.
Lupin
Lupinus, commonly known as Lupins or lupines , is a genus in the legume family . The genus comprises about 280 species , with major centers of diversity in South and western North America , and the Andes and secondary centers in the Mediterranean region and Africa Lupinus, commonly known as Lupins...
e known by the common name sickle-keel lupine. It is native to the western United States from Washington to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it grows mostly in mountain habitat. It is a hairy, erect perennial herb often exceeding a meter in height. Each palmate leaf is made up of 5 to 10 leaflets each up to 7 centimeters long. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is up to 44 centimeters long, bearing whorls of flowers each 1 to 1.6 centimeters long. The flower is purple to yellowish or whitish in color and has a sickle
Sickle
A sickle is a hand-held agricultural tool with a variously curved blade typically used for harvesting grain crops or cutting succulent forage chiefly for feeding livestock . Sickles have also been used as weapons, either in their original form or in various derivations.The diversity of sickles that...
-shaped keel. The fruit is a silky-hairy legume pod up to 5 centimeters long containing several seeds. In Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, where the plant is native, it has been cultivated for several uses, including reforestation
Reforestation
Reforestation is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands that have been depleted, usually through deforestation....
and revegetation of roadsides and other disturbed habitat.