Lupine |
 During late spring in the Columbia Basin you will see wide open sunny slopes colored with a blue-to-purple hue. The color comes from lupine a common shrub-steppe wildflower in full bloom. Lupine easily can be recognized by its tall, spike-like clusters of blossoms. Although lupine blossoms usually are
blue, you also may see yellow or white flowers. The lupine leaf, called a palmate leaf, has five or more leaflets radiating outward from a single point on the stalk.
Lupine belongs to an important family of plants known as the pea family (Fabaceae or Leguminosae). Legumes are one of the three largest families of flowering plants and are found in nearly all parts of the world. Beans, peas, soybeans, and peanuts all provide legumes. The sweet peas you may grow in your garden also are legumes. On the roots of many legumes, including lupine, are nodules that house symbiotic bacteria. These bacteria contribute to healthy ecosystems by converting nitrogen from the atmosphere into forms plants can use. Scientists have discovered that, on the Fitzner/Eberhardt Arid Lands Ecology Reserve, lupine in a flush of growth can nearly double the amount of nitrogen in local soils. This is important because many soils in our area lack sufficient nitrogen. There is one problem with lupine, though. It probably is not a good food choice for most animals as it is poisonous to livestock. Though all parts of the plant are harmful, the seeds are especially toxic. As little as one-half pound can be lethal to sheep. Look for blooming lupine on slopes of hills and ridges and along the Columbia River in drier gravels and cobbles in April and May. Eight species are found in the Columbia Basin, many of them difficult to distinguish from one another. You may see low-growing species from 4 to 6 inches tall; others can reach more than 2 feet. Velvet lupine, sulphur lupine, and spurred lupine are three common local species. Velvet lupine is tall with a long spikelet of flowers while sulphur lupine is a smaller plant with more branches. Spurred lupine is more abundant on ridge tops. Source: Partnership for Arid Lands Stewardship (PALS) |