Lupinus breweri

Habit: forms a prostrate mat from woody stems. Leaves are palmately compound with 7-10 leaflets covered in conspicuous, white silky hairs that make the leaves appear grayish green. The inflorescence is a short, raceme of tightly clustered, densely hairy blue to violet pea flowers with a patch of yellow or white in the center. Fruit is a hairy legume (pod) with mottled round seeds.

Ecology: found in dry openings and montane forests at elevations from 3200-13,000 ft (1000-4000 m) in the Sierra Nevada north though Oregon.

Growing Conditions: full sun, in sandy to course dry soil.

Lupinus breweri’s hairy leaves are a way of limiting water loss in alpine areas in the summer months.