Taxon Report

Lupinus albifrons Benth. var. medius Jeps.

Mountain Springs bush lupine

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Lupinus albifrons var. medius, commonly known as Mountain Springs bush lupine, is a perennial shrub in the Fabaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Pinyon and juniper woodland, and Sonoran desert scrub, growing at elevations from 425 to 1370 meters. Lupinus albifrons var. medius is ranked 1B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Lupinus albifrons Benth. var. medius Jeps.
Common Name:	Mountain Springs bush lupine
Family:	Fabaceae
Element Code:	PDFAB2B1J5
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:	Lupinus excubitus var. medius

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial shrub
Blooming Period: Mar-May	Mar-May
Elevation:	425-1370 (1395-4495)
General Habitats:	Pinyon and juniper woodland, Sonoran desert scrub
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.3
Global Rank:	G4T2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S; SB_CalBG/RSABG; SB_USDA
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	48
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	1
Good (B)	2
Fair (C)	2
Poor (D)	4
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	39

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Imperial (IMP), San Diego (SDG)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Agua Caliente Springs (3211683), Arroyo Tapiado (3211682), Coyote Wells (3211568), In-ko-pah Gorge (3211661), Jacumba (3211662), Monument Peak (3211684), Mount Laguna (3211674), Sombrero Peak (3211673), Sweeney Pass (3211672), Whale Peak (3311613)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	8
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	8	17 %
Foot traffic/trampling	6	12%
ORV activity	6	12%
Development	5	10%
Vandalism/dumping/litter	2	4%
Other	1	2%
Road/trail construction/maint.	1	2%
Grazing	1	2%
Non-native plant impacts	1	2%

Notes



Possibly threatened by vehicles. See A Flora of California 2(3):252 (1936) for original description, and Systematic Botany 36(2):362-370 (2011) for taxonomic treatment.
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 25 October 2025].