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Silvery Lupine

Lupinus argenteus

Silvery, silk-haired foliage sets off spikes of blue-purple pea flowers across the mountain West. A nitrogen-fixing meadow lupine and host plant for blue butterflies. Like other lupines, its seeds and pods carry quinolizidine alkaloids and are toxic to people and livestock.

Family

Fabaceae

Type

shrub

Lifespan

perennial

Height

1.5–1.5 ft

Spacing

1–1.5 ft apart

Light

sun, part shade, shade

Soil moisture

dry

Soil pH

neutral, alkaline

Bloom

June, July

Bloom colors

purple

Wildlife value

songbirds, larval host

Caterpillar hosts

~35 butterfly & moth species

Landscape uses

foundation, container

Native states

AZ, CA, CO, ID, KS, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, OK, OR, SD, UT, WA, WY