Longspur Lupine

Perennial, Herbs, Taproot present, Nodules present, Stems erect or ascending, Stems or branches arching, spreading or decumbent, Stems less than 1 m tall, Stems solid, Stems or young twigs sparsely to densely hairy, Leaves alternate, Leaves petiolate, Stipules conspicuous, Stipules setiform, subulate or acicular, Stipules persistent, Stipules adnate to petiole, Leaves compound, Leaves palmately 5-11 foliate, Leaf or leaflet margins entire, Leaflets 5-9, Leaves hairy on one or both surfaces, Inflorescences racemes, Inflorescence terminal, Bracts conspicuously present, Bracts very small, absent or caducous, Bracteoles present, Flowers zygomorphic, Calyx 5-lobed, Caly x 2-lipped or 2-lobed, Calyx gibbous, inflated, or spurred, Calyx hairy, Petals separate, Corolla papilionaceous, Petals clawed, Petals orange or yellow, Petals blue, lavander to purple, or violet, Banner petal ovoid or obovate, Wing petals narrow, oblanceolate to oblong, Wing tips obtuse or rounded, Keel petals auriculate, spurred, or gibbous, Stamens 9-10, Stamens or anthers dimorphic, alternating large and small, Stamens monadelphous, united below, Filaments glabrous, Style terete, Fruit a legume, Fruit unilocular, Fruit freely dehiscent, Fruit elongate, straight, Fruit oblong or ellipsoidal, Fruit exserted from calyx, Fruit internally septate between the seeds, Fruit hairy, Fruit 3-10 seeded, Seeds ovoid to rounded in outline, Seed surface smooth, Seeds olive, brown, or black, Seed surface mottled or patchy.

Lupinus arbustus is a species of lupine known by the common name longspur lupine. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Utah, where it grows in several types of habitat, including sagebrush and forests. This is a perennial herb growing erect to a maximum of 70 centimetres (28 inches) tall. It is sometimes hairy in texture. Each palmate leaf is made up of 7 to 13 leaflets each up to 7 centimetres (2+3⁄4 inches) long. The inflorescence is up to 18 centimetres (7 inches) long, bearing whorls of flowers each up to 1.4 centimetres (7⁄12 inch) long. The calyx of sepals around the base of the corolla has a knoblike spur at the back. The flower corolla is white to yellow to various shades of purple or pink. The fruit is a hairy legume pod 2 or 3 centimetres (3⁄4 or 1+1⁄6 inches) long. There are several subspecies.