Wasatch Wildflowers: Silvery Lupine (Lupinus argenteus)

Photo: Silvery Lupine (Lupinus argenteus) – photo: Ashley Brown

WASATCH MOUNTAINS, Utah. Silvery Lupine (Lupinus argenteus) is a perennial herb native to Utah. The eye-catching purple and blue-hued flowers grow in a dense, elongated cluster. The palmate, star-shaped leaves alternate on a stem with small silver hairs. The plant grows between 1 and 3 feet tall.

Lupines, particularly the seeds, are toxic. However, the plant is a beneficial nitrogen fixer. They absorb nitrogen from the atmosphere and store it in the soil.

Silvery lupines grow in mountain shrub and aspen communities between 3500-11300 feet throughout the summer.