Lupinus

Lupines (Lupinus; from Old High German luvina, to Latin lupus 'wolf'), rarely also called lupine bean, wolf bean or cowpea, are a plant genus in the subfamily of the papilionaceous plants (Faboideae) within the legume family (Fabaceae or Leguminosae). The bean, soybean, pea, chickpea and peanut, for example, belong to the same family. In Central Europe, the common lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus) is the most common. Lupins are available as vegetable plants, forage plants, ornamental plants and wild plants.

The seeds of wild and garden lupins in particular contain lupinin, a toxic bitter substance that can cause death by respiratory paralysis. Certain cultivated forms, on the other hand, are non-toxic and not bitter (sweet lupine). However, they can be problematic for allergy sufferers.

Description

The species are mostly herbaceous perennials 0.3-1.5 meters tall, some annuals and others tree-like shrubs up to 4.5 meters tall. An exception is the Chamis de Monte (Lupinus jaimehintoniana) of Oaxaca in Mexico, which grows up to 8 m tall. They usually form a taproot.

Lupines usually have long-stalked and soft, green to gray-green leaves that are often densely covered with silvery hairs. Leaf blades are usually palmately divided and subdivided into five to 28 entire marginal fingers, or reduced to a single leaf in some species in the southeastern United States. Stipules are often present.

The flowers are in dense or open, erect, terminal racemes or spikes. Each flower with double perianth is about 1-2 cm long. Bracts and/or bracteoles may be present. The calyx is often two-lipped. The hermaphrodite, blue, purple, red, pink, yellow, orange, white, or mixed-colored butterfly flowers have an upper flag, two lateral wings, and two lower petals fused into a keel. There are 10 stamens, either diadelphous (with 9 usually fused) or monadelphous and some unequal in length (5 + 5; with dimorphic anthers). The elongate ovary is superior, with a long, curved style and a small cephalic stigma. The fruit is a legume containing several, roundish and flattened, rough to smooth seeds.

The chromosome number is 2n = 36, 42, 48 or 96.

Systematics

The genus Lupines (Lupinus) is divided into two subgenera. Depending on the author, there are one hundred to several hundred species. Here is a selection:

• Subgenus Lupinus (Syn.: Lupinus subgen. Eulupinus Aschers. et Graebn. ):
• White lupine (Lupinus albus L. ): It grows preferentially on sandy, calcareous loam and loess soils and is native to the Balkan Peninsula, the Aegean and Turkey.
• Blue lupin or narrow-leaved lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L. ): Prefers sandy loam soils and is native to southern Europe, North Africa and the Near East.
• Lupinus micranthus Guss. The native country is Southern Europe, North Africa and Near East.
• Yellow lupine (Lupinus luteus L. ): Prefers sandy, lime-free soils. Its home is Portugal, Spain and the Aegean.
• Lupinus hispanicus Boiss. et Reut. It occurs in Portugal and in Spain.
• Lupinus cosentinii Guss. It occurs in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Morocco and Tunisia.
• Lupinus digitatus Forssk. It is found in Morocco, Algeria and Egypt.
• Lupinus princei Harms: It occurs in tropical Africa.
• Lupinus pilosus L. : It occurs in Greece, in the Aegean Sea and in the Near East.
• Lupinus palaestinus Boiss. It occurs in Jordan, Israel and the Sinai Peninsula.
• Lupinus atlanticus Gladst. : It occurs in Morocco.

• Subgenus Platycarpos (S. Watson) Kurl. : The legumes are mostly flat. They have natural occurrences only in the New World. With several hundred species (selection):
• Andean lupine (Lupinus mutabilis Sweet), food plant from Peru (chocho, tarwi)
• Polyphyllous lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl. )
• Bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis Hook. ), state flower of Texas
• Alaskan lupine (Lupinus nootkatensis Donn ex Sims)