Lupine, Miniature;  Lupinus bicolor

Mid Bloomer.  Flowers sometimes whorled, on 6" to16”  tall stems; 1/4” dark blue flowers with white spot turns magenta. Notes: Pea family.  Like so many of its genus, it has blue wings and a blue banner with a large, central, black-dotted white splotch that turn rosy red with age.  One botanist told us that the red denotes that the flower has been pollinated and that the red color is chemically close to human hemoglobin.  Lupinus bicolor is abundant in open fields at low elevations.  The flowers are usually small (1/4”) and the white splotch on the banner is usually triangular.  Bicolored means ‘two-colored.’ Click on species name below to go to USDA for this species. Kingdom Plantae -- Plants     Subkingdom Tracheobionta -- Vascular plants         Superdivision Spermatophyta -- Seed plants             Division Magnoliophyta -- Flowering plants                 Class Magnoliopsida -- Dicotyledons                     Subclass Rosidae                         Order Fabales                             Family Fabaceae -- Pea family                                 Genus Lupinus L. -- lupine                                     Species Lupinus bicolor Lindl. -- miniature lupine Contains 6 Subspecies and 10 accepted taxa overall

Lupine, Miniature (Lupinus bicolor)