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Lupinus
Also called Lupine, Bluebonnet, Bluebonnets, Lupin, Lupine, Lupines, Lupins
Lupinus is a large genus of around 200 species in the pea family, grown mainly as ornamentals such as garden lupins and bluebonnets, with some species also cultivated for their seeds. Most garden lupins need full sun or part shade and well-drained soil, and many are invasive outside their native range.
Lupinus, commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet, is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centres of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centres occur in North Africa and the Mediterranean. They are widely cultivated both as a food source and as ornamental plants, but are invasive to some areas. For instance, lupine has become an ecological problem in Iceland since the beginning of the 21st century.
The part of the plant which is eaten is the leguminous seed. It is nutritious, sustainable, and affordable. Because they are bitter and contain strong alkaloids, they must be pickled prior to consumption, to avoid toxicity. They can also be made into a flour and used as fertilizer.
Lupinus polyphyllus, the garden lupin, and Lupinus arboreus, the tree lupin, are popular ornamental plants in gardens, and are the source of numerous hybrids and cultivars in a wide range of colours, including bicolors. As legumes, lupins are good companion plants in gardens, increasing the soil nitrogen for vegetables and other plants. As well as growing in the ground, lupins can do well in pots on balconies or patios.
Some lupins contain certain secondary compounds, including isoflavones and toxic alkaloids, such as lupinine, anagyrine and sparteine. With early detection, these can be removed through processing, although lupins containing these elements are not usually selected for food-grade products.
A risk of lupin allergy exists in patients allergic to peanuts. Most lupin reactions reported have been in people with peanut allergy. Because of the cross-allergenicity of peanut and lupin, the European Commission, as of 2006, has required that food labels indicate the presence of "lupin and products thereof" in food.
Certain species, such as the yellow bush lupin (L. arboreus), are considered invasive weeds when they appear outside their native ranges. In New Zealand, lupines are viewed as invasive and a severe threat in some cases. L. polyphyllus has escaped into the wild and grows in large numbers along main roads and streams on the South Island. A similar spread of the species has occurred in Sweden, Finland and Norway after the non-native species was first deliberately planted in the landscaping along the main roads. Lupins have been planted in some parts of Australia with a considerably cooler climate, particularly in rural Victoria and New South Wales.
The legume seeds of lupins, commonly called lupin beans, were popular with the Romans, who cultivated the plants throughout the Roman Empire where the lupin is still known in extant Romance languages by names such as lupini.
Silver lupine · White Lupin · Lupinus anatolicus · Yellow bush lupine · Miniature lupine · European yellow lupine · Chick Lupine · Tarwi · Nootka lupine · Bigleaf lupine · Texas bluebonnet · Hollowleaf annual lupine
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lupinus by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
