Lupinus sericatus
Encyclopedia
Lupinus sericatus is a species of lupin
e known by the common name Cobb Mountain lupine. It is endemic to the North Coast Ranges of California
north of the San Francisco Bay Area
, where it grows in the forest, woodlands, and chaparral
of the slopes and canyons. It easily colonizes disturbed habitat as well. This is a perennial herb growing up to half a meter tall. Each palmate leaf is made up of 4 to 7 distinctive wide spoon-shaped leaflets each 3 to 5 centimeters long. The inflorescence
is a raceme
of several whorls of purple flowers, each flower between 1 and 2 centimeters long. The fruit is a hairy legume pod 2 or 3 centimeters long.
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 Cobb Mountain lupine. It is endemic to the North Coast Ranges of 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...
north of the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, where it grows in the forest, woodlands, and chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
of the slopes and canyons. It easily colonizes disturbed habitat as well. This is a perennial herb growing up to half a meter tall. Each palmate leaf is made up of 4 to 7 distinctive wide spoon-shaped leaflets each 3 to 5 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 a raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
of several whorls of purple flowers, each flower between 1 and 2 centimeters long. The fruit is a hairy legume pod 2 or 3 centimeters long.