bigleaf lupine

(Lupinus polyphyllus var. polyphyllus)

Conservation Status
bigleaf lupine
Photo by Kathy Ross
  IUCN Red List

not listed

     
  NatureServe

N4N5 - Apparently Secure to Secure

SNR - Unranked

     
  Minnesota

not listed

     
           
Wetland Indicator Status
     
  Midwest

FACU - Facultative upland

     
  Northcentral & Northeast

FACU - Facultative upland

     
           
 
Description
 
 

Bigleaf lupine is an erect, perennial forb that rises from a deep taproot. It can get from 20 to 60 tall, though in Minnesota it is usually 36 to 40 tall at maturity.

In the first year it develops a rosette of basal leaves. In the second year it sends up flowering stems. The stems are erect, unbranched, stout, round, and thinly hairy.

Stem leaves are alternate and are palmately divided into 11 to 17 leaflets. Lower leaves are on leaf stalks that are up to 17¾ long, upper leaves are on shorter stalks.

The leaflets of the lower leaves are inversely lance-shaped, up to 6 long and wide. The longest leaflets are about ½ as long as the leaf stalk. The upper surface is hairless or almost hairless. The lower surface is hairy. The margins are untoothed.

The inflorescence is a dense, cone-shaped, 8 to 16 tall spike with up to 80 flowers.

The individual flowers are to long. The 5 petals are shades of violet or blue and form a butterfly-like corolla, typical of plants in the Pea family. They are organized into a banner petal at the top, two lateral wing petals, and between the wings two petals fused into a keel. The banner is curved upward. There are 10 stamens; 5 with short filaments and long anthers, and 5 with long filaments and short anthers.

The fruit is a densely hairy, ¾ to 2¼ long pod containing 3 to 9 seeds. When ripe the pods open explosively, spreading the seeds a short distance.

 
     
 

Height

 
 

36 to 40

 
     
 

Flower Color

 
 

Violet or blue

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
  Sundial lupine (Lupinus perennis var. perennis) is a smaller plant, no more than 24 at maturity. Its leaves are divided into 7 to 11 leaflets.  
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Moist. Forest edges, fields, shores, roadsides. Full sun to light shade.

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Flowering

 
 

June to July

 
     
 

Pests and Diseases

 
 

 

 
     
 
Use
 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 24, 28, 29, 30.

Most sources show this species restricted to just a handful of counties, mostly in the norhteast quarter of the state. The two sightings in the Metro Area (Washington and Dakota Counties) are from a county park and a private nature center. iNaturalist has many citizen sightings across a much broader range (light green on the map).

 
  2/19/2023      
         
 

Nativity

 
 

Native to the Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. Introduced and escaped cultivation in the midwest.

 
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Uncommon

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Plantae (green algae and land plants)  
  Subkingdom Viridiplantae (green plants)  
  Infrakingdom Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)  
  Superdivision Embryophyta (land plants)  
  Division Tracheophyta (vascular plants)  
  Subdivision Spermatophytina (seed plants)  
  Class Magnoliopsida (flowering plants)  
  Superorder Rosanae  
 

Order

Fabales (legumes, milkworts, and allies)  
 

Family

Fabaceae (legumes)  
  Subfamily Faboideae  
  Tribe Genisteae (brooms, lupines, and allies)  
  Genus Lupinus (lupines)  
  Species Lupinus polyphyllus (bigleaf lupine)  
  Subspecies Lupinus polyphyllus ssp. polyphyllus (bigleaf lupine)  
       
 

Variety of a Subspecies
This is a variety of a subspecies, and some sources list it as Lupinus polyphyllus ssp. polyphyllus var. polyphyllus. The ICN (International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants), the rules governing the naming of plant species, makes it clear that this is not correct. Following ICN rules, a taxa “may also be referred to” with the inclusion of the intervening name (in this case, “ssp. polyphyllus”), but that does not constitute a formal name.

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Lupinus matanuskensis

Lupinus polyphyllus ssp. polyphyllus var. polyphyllus

Lupinus pseudopolyphyllus

Lupinus stationis

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

big-leaf lupine

big-leaved lupine

bigleaf lupine

blue-pod lupine

common lupine

garden lupine

large-leaf lupine

marsh lupine

Washington lupine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Corolla

A collective name for all of the petals of a flower.

 

Palmate

Similar to a hand. Having more than three lobes or leaflets that radiate from a single point at the base of the leaf.

 
 
Visitor Photos
 
           
 

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Tom Ross

 
 

This is not a good picture, but helps to get the height. That is me in the photo. We just now took a ruler and measured 24 inches on me and they were definitely taller than that

  bigleaf lupine  
 

Kathy Ross

 
 

We just returned from Madeline Island WI. The Lupine grow wild in abundance along the roads. Just gorgeous and in multiple colors.

  bigleaf lupine  
           
    bigleaf lupine      
           
 
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Other Videos
 
  lupinus polyphyllus
zebrablu
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Aug 15, 2011

v

   
  Lupina mnoholistá Lupinus polyphyllus
Karel Filip
 
   
 
About

Published on Aug 1, 2012

Rostlina pochází ze západu USA u nás však velmi úspěšně zdomácněla. Obohacuje půdu dusíkem a v přírodě se velice hezky vyjímá.

   

 

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Report a sighting of this plant.

 
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  Tom Ross
6/27/2017

Location: Madeline Island, WI

This is not a good picture, but helps to get the height. That is me in the photo. We just now took a ruler and measured 24 inches on me and they were definitely taller than that

bigleaf lupine  
  Kathy Ross
6/27/2017

Location: Madeline Island, WI

We just returned from Madeline Island WI. The Lupine grow wild in abundance along the roads. Just gorgeous and in multiple colors.

bigleaf lupine  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
   

 

 

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