Summary ³

Lupinus perennis (also wild perennial lupine, wild lupine, sundial lupine, blue lupine, Indian beet, or old maid's bonnets) is a medicinal plant in the Fabaceae family. It is widespread in the eastern part of the USA (from Texas and Florida to Maine) and Minnesota, Canada (southern Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador), and on the coasts of the Arctic Ocean, where it grows on sand hills and roadsides.

Description ⁴

Family:
Fabaceae (Pea)

Height:
1 to 3 feet

Leaves:
Leaves consist of 7-11 long, hairy leaflets (up to 2” long and ½” wide) with rounded tips, radiating from a central point at the tip of a single stalk.

Flower:
Pea-like flowers (up to 1” long) are purple to lavender-blue in color and irregular in shape, consisting of 2 upper petals known as a banner, 2 central petals known as wings (which appear somewhat like a cracked pistachio shell), and 1 lower petal known as a keel.

Bloom time:
May-June

Nicknames:
Sundial Lupine, Quaker Bonnets, Bluebonnets

Habitat:
Wild Lupine prefers full to partial sun, dry to well-drained conditions, and slightly acidic, sandy or sandy loam soils. It is commonly found in sandy prairies, sandy woodlands and woodland edges, savannas, and dunes.

Wildlife Benefits:
Foliage is a food source for many species of caterpillars, including those of the federally endangered Karner Blue Butterfly. Pollen is attractive to several species of bees and bee flies. Like many other members of the Fabaceae (Pea) family, this species hosts nitrogen-fixing bacteria in its roots.

Can I plant this in my garden?
This attractive species is an excellent addition for dry, sunny areas with sandy soils. Take care not to confuse this species with the non-native, often invasive Large-leaved Lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus), which has rapidly spread across Minnesota and should not be planted, as it often escapes cultivation. Wild Lupine seeds require scarification in order to germinate.

References:
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/wild-lupine
http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/wild_lupine.htm
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lupinus-perennis-subsp-perennis/

Range ⁴

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District, all rights reserved, uploaded by Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District
2. (c) cassi saari, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by cassi saari
3. Adapted by Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupinus_perennis
4. (c) Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• eFloras.org
• Flora Digital de Portugal
• Flora of North America (beta)
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• Go Botany
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• NBN Atlas
• SEINet Symbiota portals
• Tropicos
• USDA PLANTS database
• VASCAN by Canadensys
• World Flora Online

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