# Collared Annual Lupine (*lupinus truncatus*)

The Collared Annual Lupine is a beautiful flowering plant that brightens up fields with its colorful blooms. It attracts butterflies and bees, making nature even more exciting for little explorers!

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger
- **Habitat:** Collared Annual Lupines thrive in sunny fields and open grasslands.
- **Also known as:** Annual Lupine, California Lupine, Desert Lupine

![Collared Annual Lupine](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Lupinustruncatus.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Anthony Valois and the National Park Service, Public domain · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lupinustruncatus.jpg)

## Appearance

The Collared Annual Lupine is a vibrant plant featuring dense clusters of purplish-blue flowers, occasionally white. Its distinctive palmate leaves are like small hands, often appearing notched or "collared" at the base. It grows in a bushy form.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Fabales
- **Family:** Fabaceae
- **Genus:** Lupinus

## Interesting facts

- Butterflies love visiting these vibrant flowers, sipping their sweet nectar with their long tongues!
- Its name 'lupine' comes from a Latin word meaning 'wolfish,' suggesting its hardy nature!
- Some ancient explorers carried dried lupine seeds as a quick, portable snack for long journeys!
- The plant's palmate leaves look like tiny green hands, with several leaflets spreading from one point.

## Special abilities

- **Soil Builder:** Collared Annual Lupine can enrich the soil by capturing nitrogen from the air, turning it into a natural fertilizer.
- **Seed Sprinter:** Collared Annual Lupine has pods that pop open when dry, flinging its seeds away to find new places to grow.
- **Drought Survivor:** Collared Annual Lupine has deep roots that help it find water in dry, sandy soils, allowing it to thrive.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 20-60 cm
- **Spread:** 15-30 cm
- **Flower Size:** 1-2 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Spring to early Summer
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** Moderate
- **Lifecycle:** Annual
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** [Yellow-faced Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/yellow-faced-bumble-bee) (*Bombus vosnesenskii*) — collects nectar and pollen from flowers.
- **Depends on:** Square-spotted Blue (*Euphilotes battoides*) — larvae feed on the leaves of lupines.
- **Symbiotic with:** Rhizobium bacteria (*Rhizobium leguminosarum*) — helps the plant fix nitrogen from the air.

## Traits

- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals.
- [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material.
- [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night.
- [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger

No special safety notes yet.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Collared Annual Lupine?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Collared Annual Lupine?

20-60 cm

### How wide does Collared Annual Lupine spread?

15-30 cm

### How big are the flowers on Collared Annual Lupine?

1-2 cm

### When does Collared Annual Lupine bloom?

Spring to early Summer

### Is Collared Annual Lupine edible?

No

### Is Collared Annual Lupine toxic?

Moderate

### What is Collared Annual Lupine's lifecycle?

Annual

## Where to spot

- [Cabrillo Heights Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/cabrillo-heights-park) — California, US · Park
- [San Clemente State Beach](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/san-clemente-state-beach) — California, US · State Park

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Collared Annual Lupine: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collared-annual-lupine)