Harlequin Lupine (Lupinus stiversii)
Habitat: Harlequin Lupine is the most colorful of the gazillion and one varieties (an unofficial estimate that's probably low) of lupine that grow in and around Yosemite. It's at home in open areas from the foothills up to about 6,000 feet.
Flowering Season: April to July
Size: The plant gets up to 20 inches high, but is generally shorter at higher elevations. The flower clumps are 2 - 3 inches across, though the individual flowers are much smaller. At the high end of their elevation range, they tend to be compact lupinettes with just a single row of flowers.
Lupinus stiversii etymology: Lupinus is an entirely unmysterious word: it's Latin and means "wolf-like." Why it's the handle for the lupine genus is more puzzling. There are no modern accounts of lupine hunting in packs, howling, or turning into people when the moon isn't full. The generally accepted explanation is that it's mellowed and matured since it acquired the name back in the middle ages.
Stiversii is tribute to Charles Austin Stivers, an Army physician who collected specimens of the flower in Yosemite in 1862.
This Photo: Along highway 41 above Wawona Meadow, early June
More Harlequin Lupine
 More Harlequin |
 Lupine Redux |
 Closeup |