[The Lupines of the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington]

Hybrid Lupine

Lupinus leucophyllus X sericeus

A close-up of the flower of a hybrid lupine as seen along Washington Highway 14 on slopes above Wishram, WA..........October 7, 2006. The banner is more typically folded closely forward above the wings and keel than as seen on this specimen.

The photo above shows a close-up of the keel of the flower of a hybrid lupine as seen along Washington Highway 14 on slopes above Wishram, WA........October 7, 2006. The keel of velvet lupine is turned upwards and longer and more narrow than that of the similar silky lupine (Lupinus sericeus) which generally also has larger flowers.

Habitat:

The hybrid lupine of leucophyllus X sericeus may be found on dry, open rangeland or grasslands from the lowlands to about 2500 feet in the foothills.

Range:

In the Columbia River Gorge it may be found between the elevations of 100'-2500' on the Washington side of the river from about the Dallesport in the west and eastward towards Roosevelt, WA and on the Oregon side of the river, from near Celilo, OR east to Arlington, OR. It can also be found southward between Wasco, OR and Condon, OR.

The photo above shows the tightly-flowered raceme of velvet lupine as seen along Washington Highway 14 at milepost 91 on slopes above the Avery Sand Pit.........October 7, 2006. Velvet lupine has a long, very tightly flowered raceme with flowers from 8-12 mm long.

Hybrid lupines blooming along Washington Highway 14 just east of the junction with the road to Stonehenge Memorial.........October 12, 2015. A wildfire had swept over this area a month or so before and this was one of the few plants to be up and visible.

Velvet lupine as seen along Washington Highway 14 on slopes above Wishram, WA..........October 7, 2006. The flowers viewed at the top of the page were from this plant.

Velvet lupine or a hybrid with L. sericeus as seen along Washington Highway 14 at milepost 94...........May 18, 2014. Plants have the long, tightly congested inflorescence and velvety gray leaves of velvet lupine but the flower banner is intermediate in its uprightness between the two species.

Paul Slichter