Lupinus arboreus

Lupinus arboreus
Inflorescence of Lupinus arboreus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Faboideae
Tribe:	Genisteae
Genus:	Lupinus
Subgenus:	Platycarpos
Species:	L. arboreus
Binomial name
Lupinus arboreus Sims

Lupinus arboreus, common name yellow bush lupine (US) or tree lupin (UK), is a species of flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae.

The shrub is endemic to California, where it is widely distributed among coastal sage scrub and sand dunes. Because it has been widely introduced in the state, there is some uncertainty about its native range. It is thought to be native from Point Reyes National Seashore south to San Luis Obispo County.

Lupinus arboreus is an evergreen shrub growing to 2 m (7 ft) tall (hence the alternative common name, tree lupine) in sheltered situations, but more typically 1–1.5 m (3–5 ft) tall. It is capable of tolerating temperatures down to -12 °C and living for up to seven years.

It has green to gray-green palmate leaves, with 5-12 leaflets per leaf. The leaflets are 2–6 centimetres (0.79–2.36 in) long, often sparsely covered with fine silky hairs.

In spring it bears many racemes, 30 cm (12 in) long, of fragrant, soft yellow, pea-like flowers. Both yellow and lilac to purple flowering forms are known. However, the yellow form is more common, except in the north of the species' range.

It has escaped from cultivation to become an invasive species in many areas. Outside of its native range in central and northern coastal California, it can become invasive southwards in Southern California and Baja California, and northwards in the coastal Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. It is an introduced species in western Europe, Australia (a potential noxious weed), New Zealand, the Turkish Anatolian Aegean Region, and southern South America including the Falkland Islands.

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Wikipedia