A particularly beautiful species of lupine that has an erect habit and lovely lavender flowers that bloom from May until September. Lupinus rivularis is found only along the Pacific Coast, from northwestern California to southwestern British Columbia. This species occupies open sandy or gravelly, moist riverbank sites at low elevations proximal to the coast, generally sites with little ground cover, generally flood prone. Like other lupines, L. rivularis displays a preference for disturbed, though not weedy, sites.