Herbs or subshrubs, perennial, to 2–5 dm, greenish to silver, spreading-villous, especially at nodes, or densely appressed- or spreading-silver-hairy. Cotyle­dons deciduous, petiolate. Stems prostrate to decumbent, branched, not weak, from woody base. Leaves cauline, often appearing clustered near base first year; stipules 7–16 mm; petiole 2–10 cm; leaflets 5–9, blades 15–35 × 3–9 mm, adaxial surface pubescent. Peduncles 4–12 cm; bracts deciduous, 4–7 mm. Racemes ± open, 6–16 cm; flowers whorled or not. Pedicels 4–12 mm. Flowers 10–16 mm; calyx bulge or spur 0–1 mm, abaxial lobe 3-toothed or entire, 8–9 mm, adaxial lobe 2-toothed, 7–8 mm; corolla blue to lilac, white, yellow, rose, or purple (sometimes on same plant), banner patch whitish or yellow, or absent, banner glabrous abaxially, lower keel margins glabrous, adaxial margin ciliate. Legumes 3–4 cm, hairy. Seeds 7–12.

Distribution

w North America.

Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Lupinus littoralis is a prostrate perennial that grows on the ocean bluffs and dunes of western North America. It hybridizes with L. arboreus (K. S. Wear 1998) and probably L. rivularis. It can be distinguished from L. tidestromii by the latter having three leaflets on some leaves and weak stems.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Lupinus littoralis var. littoralis, Lupinus littoralis var. variicolor

Key

1	Flowers 10–13 mm; corollas blue to lilac, except banner patch whitish; roots bright yellow; petioles less than 2 times as long as leaflet blades, 3–5 cm; British Columbia to Mendocino County, California.	Lupinus littoralis var. littoralis
1	Flowers 11–16 mm; corollas white, yellow, rose, or purple (often on same plant); roots not yellow; petioles 2 times as long as leaflet blades, 4–10 cm; Sonoma to San Luis Obispo counties, California.	Lupinus littoralis var. variicolor