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Family: Fabaceae (Leguminosae) <br /> Status: ONHDB List 1 (threatened with extinction throughout its range) <br /> Federal: Species of Concern <br /> State: Candidate <br /> BLM: Bureau sensitive <br /> Geographic Distribution: This species occurs primarily in the Willamette Valley (Benton, <br /> Lane, Linn, Marion, Polk, and Yamhill Cos.), but also known from several sites in Douglas <br /> Co. and one site (Boistfort Prairie) in Lewis Co., Washington. There are 31 EOR's in the <br /> ONHP Data Base; all but 3 are recent records. However, the only records from Marion and <br /> Linn Counties are historical and presumed no longer extant. Nine EOR's are recorded from <br /> west Eugene. Two other infraspecific taxa are recognized by Hitchcock and Cronquist, but <br /> they are found only east of the Cascade crest. <br /> Habitat Description: Lupinus sulphureus spp. kincaidii is a species of relatively mesic <br /> upland prairie habitats, in a variety of topographic settings from the valley floor to hillside <br /> prairies at the edge of the valley. In somewhat more xeric prairies, such as on hillsides, it is <br /> often replaced by Lupinus laxiflorus, an apparently closely related species. Most of the <br /> extant populations are in native prairie remnants of moderate to high quality. Unlike most <br /> lupine species found in the Willamette Valley, this species has few weedy tendencies. The <br /> few known roadside populations are generally extensions of populations in adjacent prairie <br /> habitat or remnants of a formerly larger population. Also, a few of the larger populations <br /> are in areas with some limited documented agricultural disturbance, such as having been <br /> disked and seeded with pasture grasses. Lupinus sulphureus spp. kincaidii is apparently able <br /> to survive limited disturbance of this type because new shoots arise from the deep, well <br /> established root system. Sites occur on a variety of upland soil series. The species is never <br /> found on hydric soils, even when populations are immediately adjacent. <br /> Growth Habit: Long -lived perennial herb, stoutish stems 3 -10 dm. tall, plants green but <br /> appressed - hairy, hairs sometimes tawny. The plants grow from a deep and well established <br /> root system, and may be somewhat clonal. <br /> Leaves: leaflets oblanceolate, glabrous on upper surface, 2 -5 cm long. <br /> Flowers: Violet purple or paler, in long slender racemes, less than 9 -12 mm., banner shorter <br /> than wings, folded backward at apex. <br /> Fruit: Pods 2 -3 cm. long, seeds 4 -5, pinkish- brown. <br /> Seed Germination Rate, Seed Bank Persistence: Seed germination rate and seed bank <br /> persistence is not known. Typically, legume seeds can persist in the soil for long time spans. <br /> Fruit set and seed production can vary greatly from year to year and site to site. Many sites <br /> support large populations of seed predators, which greatly reduce seed production. Based on <br /> 12 <br />