California Lupine

Lupinus, commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species...
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Lupinus, commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. They are widely cultivated, both as a food source and as ornamental plants, but are invasive to some areas.
The species are mostly herbaceous perennial plants 1–5 feet tall, but some are annual plants and a few are shrubs up to10 ft tall.
Lupins have soft green to grey-green leaves which may be coated in silvery hairs, often densely so. The flowers are produced in dense or open whorls on an erect spike, each flower 3⁄8–3⁄4 inch long. The pea-like flowers have an upper standard, or banner, two lateral wings, and two lower petals fused into a keel. The flower shape has inspired common names such as bluebonnets and quaker bonnets.

The fruit is a pod containing several seeds. The seeds contain alkaloids which lend them a bitter taste.
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