Lupinus chamissonis aka Chamisso Bush Lupine

Lupinus chamissonis is a woody shrub. It is native to California. It belongs to Fabaceae, the pea family. Kew lists it as a plant of subtropical regions. It is not native to Britain or Ireland. Its evergreen leaves have soft grey-green tones. Its flowers stand upright. Both the leaves and flowers help give it its look. The leaves stay on past the bloom season.

The shrub grows upright and can reach 6 feet [1.8 metres] tall. In an open site, it forms a round, ball-like shape. Its upright growth thus has a round outline. The bark is grey. Young twigs range from green to reddish green. These stem colours contrast with the grey-green leaves. Its woody frame sets it apart from a soft-stemmed plant. Virginia Tech notes that it grows upright. The same source describes its round shape in the open.

The leaves grow alternately along the stems, not in opposite pairs. Each leaf is palmately compound. This means its leaflets spread from one point. A whole leaf measures about 4 inches [0.10 metres] long. It has five to nine leaflets. Each measures about 1 inch [0.025 metres] long. The leaflets are narrow, but their widest point varies. Some are widest below the middle. Others are widest nearer the tip. Silky hairs often cover the grey-green leaflets. These hairs help give the leaves their pale look. The split leaves give the shrub a fine texture. Broad leaves with no such splits would look coarser.

Virginia Tech gives the bloom time as early to midsummer. The flowers range from blue to pale lavender. They form spikes that stand upright. Each spike measures 6–8 inches [0.15–0.20 metres] long. These upright flower groups contrast with the leaflets that spread out. Virginia Tech calls the flowers showy. The fruit is a pod with brown hairs. Each pod measures 1.5–2.5 inches [0.04–0.06 metres] long. As the pods ripen, they twist and split with force. This throws the seeds out of the pod. The pods thus form a distinct stage after the blooms. Their brown hairs differ from the silky hairs on the leaves.