[1] It often shares habitats with other prolifically blooming spring and early summer wildflowers, including the California poppy.

[2] Lupinus bicolor has a short, hairy stem and thin, palmately-arranged leaves.

The plant's hairy pods are quite small, only a couple of centimeters long and very thin, and they contain tiny brownish peas.

Varieties include:[3] Lupinus bicolor is cultivated as an ornamental plant, from seed sown in native plant, drought tolerant, and wildlife gardens, and in natural landscaping and habitat restoration projects.

[2] At a local spatial scale, Lupinus bicolor was found to increase the abundance of the native Yellow-faced bumble bee (Bombus vosnesenskii) at restoration sites in Santa Barbara, CA.