Lupinus latifolius var. barbatus (Klamath Lupine), which may also be called "bearded lupine," is a very rare plant

Rare species

A rare species is a group of organisms that are very uncommon or scarce. This designation may be applied to either a plant or animal taxon, and may be distinct from the term "endangered" or "threatened species" but not "extinct"....

 of the Western U.S., known only from northeastern 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...

 and southeastern 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...

. It is a rare variety of a more common plant, L. latifolius

Lupinus latifolius

Lupinus latifolius is a species of lupine known by the common name broadleaf lupine. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Baja California to New Mexico, where it is common and can be found in several types of habitat. There are several subtaxa, described as subspecies or...

, which pertains to the bean family

Fabaceae

The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species...

.

Technical description

• Stems stout, more or less fistulous, commonly several to many, branched above, 2 or more feet high, hairy (glabrous to strigose, or rather villous, especially around the nodes).
• Stipules conspicuous, not adnate, not broad; long, villous with spreading hairs (or hirsute with ascending hairs), 5–10 mm.
• Leaves
  Leaf
  A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
  
  cauline; petiole 4–20 cm.
• Leaflets about 9, upper surface glabrous to hairy, lower surface sparsely subvillous, 3½ –5 (10) cm.
• Bracts conspicuous, long (8–12 mm), villous, deciduous.
• Raceme open, with a long (8–20 cm) peduncle.
• Pedicels slender, glabrate, 2–5 mm long.
• Flower
  Flower
  A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
  
  s 8–10 mm, scattered, mostly pale; apex of the banner normally well reflexed from the upper margins of the wing-petals, its ventral meridian sulcus usually shallow, including very little of the wings. Keel ciliate on the upper edge.
• Ovary not very villous.
• Ovules 6–7.
• Fruit
  Fruit
  In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
  
  2–4½ cm, quite densely hairy.
• Seed
  Seed
  A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
  
  s 3–4 mm, mottled dark brown.

Distribution, habitat, and ecology

Distributed from northeastern California to southern Oregon.

This plant enjoys mesic conditions, and lives in wet, shady to open, sunny clay banks along streams and on the margins of meadows, within higher elevation conifer woodlands.

"Broadleaf lupine (Lupinus latifolius) is likely top-killed by fire

Fire

Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....

. Established plant

Plant

Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...

s are probably resistant to fire-induced mortality because of perennating bud

Bud

In botany, a bud is an undeveloped or embryonic shoot and normally occurs in the axil of a leaf or at the tip of the stem. Once formed, a bud may remain for some time in a dormant condition, or it may form a shoot immediately. Buds may be specialized to develop flowers or short shoots, or may have...

s on the deep, lateral root

Root

In vascular plants, the root is the organ of a plant that typically lies below the surface of the soil. This is not always the case, however, since a root can also be aerial or aerating . Furthermore, a stem normally occurring below ground is not exceptional either...

 system. It is likely that these characteristics provide for regeneration following fire. Depending on the severity of top-kill by fire, sprouting from the caudex

Caudex

A caudex is a form of stem morphology appearing as a thickened, short, perennial stem that is either underground or near ground level . It may be swollen for the purpose of water storage, especially in xerophytes...

 would also be a possibility. Information is lacking on the regeneration of broadleaf lupine seed after fire. Research to date (2006) suggests that broadleaf lupine responds favourably to fire. It was reportedly common or abundant after fire in many locations. The current body of research provides no clear direction for using fire as a management tool for broadleaf lupine populations. The research discussed [in the article] does, however, indicate that fire has a positive influence on broadleaf lupine."

Conservation status and threats

U.S. Forest Service

United States Forest Service

The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...

 Pacific Southwest Region Sensitive Species

California Native Plant Society

California Native Plant Society

The California Native Plant Society is a California not-for-profit organization that seeks to increase understanding of California's native flora and to preserve that flora. Its "paramount purpose is to preserve wild plants".-History:...

 List 1B.2

NatureServe

NatureServe

NatureServe is a non-profit conservation organization whose mission is to provide the scientific basis for effective conservation action. NatureServe and its network of natural heritage programs are the leading source for information about rare and endangered species and threatened ecosystems in...

 California State Rank: S1.2; Global Rank: G1

This plant is threatened by grazing (NatureServe).

Field identification

This plant most closely resembles other varieties of L. latifolius, and could potentially be confused for L. polyphyllus

Lupinus polyphyllus

Lupinus polyphyllus is a species of lupine native to western North America from southern Alaska and British Columbia east to Alberta and western Wyoming, and south to Utah and California...

var. burkei. It occurs between about 4,925 ft. to 8,200 ft. above sea level, and flowers during June and July.

External links

• NatureServe Web Page