Description

California’s lupines are unusually diverse. Some are tall shrubs, others prostrate ground cover; some are annuals, others perennial; some inhabit alpine settings, others valley grasslands; some thrive in very dry chaparral, others require constant moisture. That’s a wide range for a single Genus! River bank lupine grows in many plant communities throughout much of the state. It is only absent in the deserts of the southeast. This rapidly growing perennial develops into a rounded shrub with large, dark green leaves with narrow leaflets. The ornate flowers are lavender to purple and appear for most of the spring and summer. Riverbank lupine thrives with supplemental moisture, so establishing the plant should not be difficult (not the case with many lupine!). Allow the seed to mature and fall since river bank lupine is said to be short lived.