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Popular Studies of California Wild Flowers 



For miles and miles along the 

 coast, and occurring frequently in 

 light, sandy soil from Oregon to 

 Southern California, a variety 

 known as Beach Blue or Chamisso's 

 Lupine matches its blue with the 

 blue of the sea. It was named in 

 honor of the poet-botanist, Adel- 

 bert von Chamisso, spoken of as a 

 "French nobleman by birth, a Prus- 

 sian soldier by training, a poet by 

 inspiration, and a botanist by 

 choice." He it was who named our 

 California Poppy "Eschscholzia" 

 after his friend the German natu- 

 ralist, who, in turn, bestowed the 

 .name "Chamisso's Lupine" upon 

 this flower. For naming our Gold- 

 en Poppy Eschscholzia, we have 

 never quite forgiven Chamisso, but 

 we are pleased to be reminded, by 

 this blue Lupine, of that dreamy 

 poet-scholar, and brave adventurer, 

 who was among the first to give 

 knowledge to the world of our won- 

 derful wild flowers. This variety 

 is of shrubby growth, from one to 

 several feet in height. It is quite 

 variable in color, sometimes a blue 

 and white, but as the blossoms 

 grow older, and fertilization has 

 taken place, the white turns to lav- 

 ender or purple. The standard has 

 a permanent yellow spot. Its foli- 

 age is especially lovely, a silky, 

 silvery green, forming a pleasant contrast to the profuse spikes of 

 its bright-hued flowers. It blossoms nearly the year round. 



There are wonderful stretches of blue Lupines along the coast 

 near Carmel, and one frequently sees the wild doves feasting upon 

 the ripened seeds. Last spring as we followed the winding trails 

 of Mount Tamalpais, some of the hills were most fair to look upon, 

 covered with a shrubby growth of blue and white Lupines. 



There is a particularly handsome variety, L. stiver sii Kellogg, 

 yellow and rose in color, growing in the Yosemite, but rarely found 



