Plants Pacific Northwest

Lupinus Polyphyllus - Lupines

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Lupinus Polyphyllus: Lupines.

The Lupine belongs to the Leguminosae, to which family the Loco-weed belongs.

Lupines are a traditional cottage garden perennial blooming from May to July. They are a legume and are related to beans, peas, carob, peanuts, honey locusts, vetch and clover. All parts of the plant including the foliage, flowers, seeds and fruits, are toxic.
Their spectacular terminal spike-like racemes of pea-shaped or butterfly-like flowers can reach up to 12 inches long. Each blossom is made up of two parts, which can be the same or different colors, allowing for great color variations. Flower colors range from white, pink, violet, blue, red, rose, yellow, peach, salmon to many splendid bi-color combinations.

All lupines share the same characteristic leaf shape. Their soft green leaves are divided into eight to sixteen small, finger-like leaflets, that diverge from a central point. They have a long, fleshy taproot similar to dandelions, with a few big prongs. The individual plants do not spread, but as they get older and mature, their roots get bigger and they send up more flower stalks. If spent flowering stalks are cut down, plants may bloom a second time in September.

They are very dramatic when planted in bold drifts in the border, on banks and hillsides, or naturalized in woodlands and partially shaded corners. Plants may require staking and should be grown in a position sheltered from the wind.

Alkaloid Containing Plant - Lupines are herbaceous perennials grown in gardens or found wild along roadsides, in fields, and in open woods. Wild lupines are common only in the prairie and lake counties of Indiana. In the rangelands of the West, they are a leading cause of livestock poisoning. Several stems often grow from one creeping root and reach 12 to 30 inches in height. The leaves are alternate and palmately compound with 7 to 11 spear-tip-shaped, softly hairy segments. Elongate spikes of blue, purple, white, magenta, or bicolored pea-like flowers in early summer are followed by 1- to 2-inch, fuzzy, pea-like pods. (The seed pods have the highest concentration of all the plant parts).

Toxicity in lupine is believed to result primarily from the alkaloid D-lupanine. The signs of lupine poisoning can develop within an hour or may take as long as a day. The signs are related to the nervous system and resemble the signs seen with excessive consumption of nicotine (tobacco): twitching, nervousness, depression, difficulty in moving and breathing, and loss of muscular control. If large quantities were consumed, convulsions, coma, and death by respiratory paralysis may occur. In cows that graze lupine, skeletal birth defects in calves can occur, and the syndrome is called "crooked calf".