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Silky lupine

Lupinus sericeus

Also called Pursh's Lupine, Pursh's Silky Lupine

Silky lupine
Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain

Silky lupine (Lupinus sericeus) is a native perennial herb of western North America, grown for its silvery foliage and spikes of purple or blue pea-type flowers. It needs sun, good drainage and very little water once established.

Family
Fabaceae (Pea & bean family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Water during establishment, then only in long dry spells; avoid soggy soil.
Soil
Well-drained, sandy or gravelly soil; tolerates poor, dry soils.
Temperature
Hardy in cold winters; protect young plants from severe cold in the first season.
How easy
Moderate
Safety
Toxic
Native range
W. Canada to W. & WC. U.S.A.
Climate
temperate

About

Lupinus sericeus is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name silky lupine or Pursh's silky lupine. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Arizona and east to Alberta and Colorado.

This perennial herb produces erect stems from a woody caudex and deep root system. The stems reach up to 50 centimetres (20 inches) tall and may branch or not. They are coated in silvery or reddish hairs. The leaves have up to 9 lance-shaped leaflets each up to 6 centimetres (2.4 inches) in length. They are coated in silk-like hairs. The inflorescence is a raceme of many flowers, usually in shades of purple or blue, but sometimes white or yellowish. The back side of the banner petal is hairy. The fruit is a hairy legume pod up to 3 centimetres (1.2 in) long containing up to 7 seeds.

Other Lupinus plants

Drew's silky lupine · Fleshy lupine · Lupinus albert-smithianus · Sicklekeel lupine · Silver lupine · White Lupin · Lupinus alopecuroides · Lupinus amandus · Lupinus anatolicus · Anderson's lupine · Narrowflower lupine · Narrowleaf lupine

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lupinus sericeus 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.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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