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Fabaceae
False Lupine
Thermopsis montana
Sunny mountain spirit.
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Genus
- Thermopsis
- Native to
- Western United States, Rocky Mountains
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer
- Type
- perennial herb
- Height
- 1-3 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- well-drained, dry to moist
- Water
- low to moderate
- Hardiness
- 3-8
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Thermopsis closely resembles lupine but is bright golden yellow rather than purple or blue, making it easy to distinguish.
- All parts of the plant are toxic, containing quinolizidine alkaloids that can cause serious poisoning in livestock.
- It spreads aggressively by underground rhizomes and can form large colonies in mountain meadows.
- The genus name means 'lupine-like' in Greek — the plants are so similar that early botanists confused them.
- It is one of the earliest blooming wildflowers at subalpine elevations, appearing as snowbanks melt.
Color meanings
0
optimism
1
mountain vigor
2
abundance