Taxon Report

Lupinus citrinus Kell. var. citrinus

orange lupine

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Taxon Summary

Lupinus citrinus var. citrinus, commonly known as orange lupine, is a annual herb in the Fabaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, Cismontane woodland, and Lower montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 380 to 1700 meters. Lupinus citrinus var. citrinus is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

  Classification
Scientific Name:
 Lupinus citrinus Kell. var. citrinus
Common Name:
 orange lupine
Family: Fabaceae
Element Code: PDFAB2B103
USDA Plants Symbol: LUCIC
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History
Lifeform: annual herb
Blooming Period: Apr-Jul Apr-Jul
Elevation: 380-1700 (1245-5580)
General Habitats: Chaparral, Cismontane woodland, Lower montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat: Granitic
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status
CA Rare Plant Rank: 1B.2
Global Rank: G2T2
State Rank:
 S2
State List: None
Fed List: None
Other Status: BLM_S; SB_SBBG; USFS_S
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB
Total Occurrences: 57
Element Occurrence Ranks:
   Excellent (A) 5
   Good (B) 16
   Fair (C) 10
   Poor (D) 3
   None (X) 0
   Unknown (U) 23

Location
California Endemic:  True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Fresno (FRE), Madera (MAD)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Ahwahnee (3711936), Auberry (3711914), Cascadel Point (3711924), Dinkey Creek (3711912), Humphreys Station (3611984), Little Table Mtn. (3711917), Musick Mtn. (3711923), O'Neals (3711926), Sacate Ridge (3611982), Shaver Lake (3711913), Trimmer (3611983)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB

Threat List Total: 12
EOs with Threat Listed: Total EOs % of EOs
36 63 %
Development 13 22%
ORV activity 11 19%
Logging 10 17%
Grazing 9 15%
Road/trail construction/maint. 9 15%
Recreational use (non-ORV) 5 8%
Non-native plant impacts 4 7%
Other 4 7%
Foot traffic/trampling 4 7%
Biocides 2 3%
Agriculture 1 1%
Over-collecting/poaching 1 1%

Notes
Threatened by development, road widening, vehicles, grazing, and logging. See Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences I 7:93 (1877) for original description, and Madroño 28(3):184 for first MAD Co. record.
Threats:
Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 4 November 2025].