Taxon Report

Lupinus pusillus Pursh var. intermontanus (Heller) C.P Smith

intermontane lupine

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Lupinus pusillus var. intermontanus, commonly known as intermontane lupine, is a annual herb in the Fabaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Great Basin scrub, growing at elevations from 1220 to 2060 meters. Lupinus pusillus var. intermontanus is ranked 2B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened, or Endangered in California, But More Common Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Lupinus pusillus Pursh var. intermontanus (Heller) C.P Smith
Common Name:	intermontane lupine
Family:	Fabaceae
Element Code:	PDFAB2B3B1
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb
Blooming Period: May-Jun	May-Jun
Elevation:	1220-2060 (4005-6760)
General Habitats:	Great Basin scrub
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	2B.3
Global Rank:	G5T5?
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:	changed from 2.3 to 2B.3 on 2013-06-12

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	19
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	1
Poor (D)	1
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	17

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Inyo (INY), Lassen (LAS), Modoc (MOD), Mono (MNO)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Alameda Well (3811817), Big Pine (3711823), Calneva Lake (4012021), Dorris Reservoir (4112044), Doyle (4012011), Five Springs (4012052), Jackass Canyon (3611755), Karlo (4012053), Kirkwood Spring (3811828), Little Hat Mtn. (4112011), Little Juniper Reservoir (4112034), Little Mud Flat (4012042), Negit Island (3811911), Shaffer Mtn. (4012043), Sulphur Pond (3811818), Surprise (4112054), Sweetwater Creek (3811942), Talc City Hills (3611736), Uhlmeyer Spring (3711822), Wendel (4012032)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	4
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	5	26 %
Other	2	10%
Road/trail construction/maint.	2	10%
Grazing	1	5%
Non-native plant impacts	1	5%

Notes



Need quads for MOD Co. Threatened by grazing and non-native plants. Possibly threatened by pipeline construction. See Muhlenbergia 8:87 (1912) for original description, and Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 46(1):408 (1919) for revised nomenclature.
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 6 July 2025].