Taxon Report

Thermopsis californica Wats. var. semota (Jeps.) Chen & Turner

velvety false lupine

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Thermopsis californica var. semota, commonly known as velvety false lupine, is a perennial rhizomatous herb in the Fabaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Cismontane woodland, Lower montane coniferous forest, Meadows and seeps, and Valley and foothill grassland, growing at elevations from 1000 to 1870 meters. Thermopsis californica var. semota is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Thermopsis californica Wats. var. semota (Jeps.) Chen & Turner
Common Name:	velvety false lupine
Family:	Fabaceae
Element Code:	PDFAB3Z013
USDA Plants Symbol:	THCAS2
Synonyms/Other Names:	Thermopsis macrophylla H. & A. var. semota Jeps.

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial rhizomatous herb
Blooming Period: Mar-Jun	Mar-Jun
Elevation:	1000-1870 (3280-6135)
General Habitats:	Cismontane woodland, Lower montane coniferous forest, Meadows and seeps, Valley and foothill grassland
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.2
Global Rank:	G4T2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S; SB_CRES; USFS_S
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	53
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	6
Good (B)	10
Fair (C)	5
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	32

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
San Diego (SDG)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Cuyamaca Peak (3211685), Descanso (3211675), Julian (3311615), Mesa Grande (3311627), Monument Peak (3211684), Mount Laguna (3211674), Ranchita (3311625), Santa Ysabel (3311616), Tule Springs (3211686)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	11
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	18	34 %
Road/trail construction/maint.	11	20%
Foot traffic/trampling	9	16%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	8	15%
Grazing	7	13%
Logging	3	5%
Vandalism/dumping/litter	3	5%
Other	2	3%
Development	1	1%
Wood cutting or brush clearing	1	1%
Non-native plant impacts	1	1%
ORV activity	1	1%

Notes



Threatened by grazing, trampling, and recreation. Possibly threatened by non-native plants and vehicles. See T. macrophylla var. semota in The Jepson Manual (1993); USFWS uses this name. See Fl. Calif. 2: 245 (1936) for original description and Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 81(4): 719 (1994) 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 18 December 2025].