Lupinus leucophyllus
I am not sure why the other lupine I have is known as a "silky" lupine, while this one is "velvet," but this is the first lupine with which I had success. It is arguably not as beautiful a bloom as L. sericeus, but it's interesting how the colored part of the bloom ascends the flower stalk. I have noticed that this variety grows in a few spots around my little town of Palouse, and I collected the seeds for mine many years ago from an area near a trailer park right at the junction of route 272 and route 95, just across the border in Idaho. That patch has long ago been mowed/sprayed to death, so I feel fortunate for having rescued these. At first I was disappointed that I hadn't collected the seeds of the "pretty lupine," but this one has grown on me (pun intended). For one thing, I must have gotten very lucky to get those seeds, which I have struggled to collect from my own plants (they seem to be immature in the pod, but they immediately disappear on ripening), yet they manage to shed viable seeds and spread all by themselves. And they are very happy here, apparently.
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