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Fabaceae
Lupine
Lupinus
Imagination, admiration, happiness, voraciousness.
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Genus
- Lupinus
- Native to
- North and South America, Mediterranean, North Africa
- Bloom season
- Late Spring, Early Summer
- Type
- annual or perennial
- Height
- 30–150 cm
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil
- Well-drained, slightly acidic, sandy
- Water
- Moderate
- Hardiness
- 4–8
- Lifespan
- Varies; many short-lived
Did you know
- Lupines are nitrogen-fixing legumes — their roots host bacteria that convert atmospheric nitrogen into plant-usable form, enriching the soil.
- The genus name comes from the Latin 'lupus' (wolf) — ancient farmers wrongly believed lupines depleted the soil 'like wolves.'
- Texas bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis) are the state flower of Texas and bloom in vast wild displays each spring.
- Lupine seeds have been eaten in the Mediterranean for over 6,000 years and are known as 'altramuces' or 'lupini beans.'
- Some 2,000-year-old Arctic lupine seeds, preserved in permafrost, were successfully germinated in the 1960s.