Desert Lupine (Lupinus sparsiflorus)

Like all members of the Pea Family (Fabaceae), Lupines have distinctive flowers with one petal on top and two on the bottom. This annual herb has dark green, palmately compound leaves with 5 to 9 leaflets arranged like the spokes of a wheel; they grow 1 1/2 inches long and 1/8 inch wide. In this sparsely vegetated area of Utah, it's always a pleasure to see these small lupine in bloom. They flower overnight as if from nowhere.

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