Kingdom Plantae Family Fabaceae Genus Lupinus Higher classification Lupine | Order Fabales Subfamily Faboideae Scientific name Lupinus excubitus Rank Species | |
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Similar Lupine, Lupinus longifolius, Lupinus formosus, Lupinus concinnus, Lupinus chamissonis | ||
Lupinus excubitus is a species of lupine known as the grape soda lupine. Its common name refers to its sweet scent, which is said to be very reminiscent of grape soda. This species and its variants are found in the Southwestern United States, especially in California and Nevada, where it can be found at Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks, and in far Northwestern Mexico.
The Lupinus excubitus plant is a small shrub with gray-green foliage. The fan-shaped leaves are each made up of 7 to 10 narrow leaflets. The raceme inflorescence is a tall stalk of rich purple flowers, each with a bright yellow spot. The occasional variant has white flowers. The fruit is a silky legume pod up to 5 centimetres (2.0 in) in length containing mottled brown seeds.
There are several named variants of this species, including:
