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Meadow Lupine
Lupinus polyphyllus
  
About Meadow Lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus) 15 Nurseries Carry This Plant Lupinus polyphyllus is a species in the Fabaceae (Legume) family that is native to a large part of western North America. In California it is found primarily in the Sierras and other northern mountains. It commonly grows along streams and creeks, preferring moist habitats. It is a perennial herbaceous plant with stout stems growing to 1.5 meter tall. The leaves are palmately compound with (5-) 9-17 leaflets 3-15 centimeter long. The flowers are produced on a tall spike, each flower 1-1.5 centimeter long, most commonly blue to purple in wild plants. It is almost always grown from seed.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Perennial Herb

Size
Size
0.7 - 5 ft tall
3 ft wide

Form
Form
Upright

Dormancy
Dormancy
Summer Deciduous

Flower Color
Flower Color
Blue, Lavender, Purple

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring, Summer

Wildlife Supported
 
Numerous insects, esp. bees

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 1 confirmed , 50 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Moderate - High

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to -10° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description
Soil Description
Adaptable. Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0

Common uses
Common uses
Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: Fresh seeds need no treatment. Stored seeds scarification or hot water.

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Moist places in central and northern foothills and mountains

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 5.5" - 109.6", Summer Precipitation: 0.26" - 4.07", Coldest Month: 9.1" - 51.1", Hottest Month: 32.8" - 78.8", Humidity: 0.02" - 27.93", Elevation: 10" - 14019"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Bigleaf Lupine, Meadow-lupine


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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