This lecture was given in February, 2009 as part of the California native plant gardening series ‘Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden’

1. Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden
Gardening with Native Plants of Western L.A. County
Project SOUND - 2009
© Project SOUND

2. Luscious Lupines
C.M. Vadheim and T. Drake
CSUDH & Madrona Marsh Preserve
Madrona Marsh Preserve
February 7 & 10, 2009
© Project SOUND

3. Lupines have long been garden favorites
© Project SOUND

4. The lupines - the genus Lupinus)
 Also known as Lupins (Europe)
bluebonnets, old maid’s bonnets or
wolfbean
 Two groups:
 Old World lupines, (Mediterranean
regions & E. Africa; 12-13 species
 New World lupines (N. & S. America);
90% of the genus
 Place of original origin???
 ~ 165 species (or possibly more)
worldwide
 82 species in CA;
 14 in western L.A. Co.
In short, we have a wealth of  An additional 6-10 species in nearby
Santa Monica & San Gabriel Mountains
native lupines from our area
© Project SOUND

5. Lupines: an interesting genus in the Pea Family
 Bloom time: February to July, but
usually in spring – often depends
on timing of rains
 Larger-flowered species usually
pollinated by large bees; small
flowers may be self-fertilizing
(Cleistogamy).
 Flower color: white to various
shades of blue and reddish-purple,
and even a few yellow species
 Leaves: palmately compound, with
5 to 9+ leaflets. The number of
leaflets on an individual plant can
vary.
 Pea-like pods with hard seeds
© Project SOUND

6. Flowers are typical of the Pea family (Fabaceae)
Silver Dune Lupine – Lupinus chamissonis
http://montana.plant-life.org/families/Fabaceae.htm
 Five petals are highly modified:
 Large banner petal (often with a white or yellow spot) – attract
pollinators
 Two small wing petals
 Two (fused) keel petals – cover the male & female organs
© Project SOUND

7. Lupines & pollinators
 Plant sex typically must be
consummated by a third party
(the wind, a hummingbird, or a
bumblebee) that transfers pollen
from one blossom to another.
 To lure pollinators, plants clad
themselves in colorful (to the
pollinator – UV-colored flowers
may appear white to us) flowers
with seductive scents.
 While the bee is fertilizing the
flower, the plant is returning the
favor, offering nectar, the
insect equivalent of soda pop,
and/or life-giving protein in the
form of pollen.
 Most lupine flowers offer just a
bit of nectar, and just for a
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/6/22/20290/0906
short time…
© Project SOUND

8. Lupines & pollinators
 Lupine flowers have
characteristics to specifically
attract large bees:
 Purple/blue color
 ‘guiding signs’
 Heavy-duty landing pad
 Bumblebee blossoms often have
some form of physical barrier that
only the bulky insect can surmount.
 In Lupines (and other Peas), the
nectaries, along with the sexual
organs, are enclosed in the fused
keel petals.
 When a bumblebee lands on the
keel, its weight forces the keel
petals to pop open, exposing the
flower's private parts (and the
nectar).
 Bumblebees ‘pump out’ the pollen
© Project SOUND

9. Lupine flowers are ‘color-coded for
freshness’  The ‘banner spot’ on lupine
flowers helps to guide the
bumblebee to the proper landing
spot; bees can see the
Grape-soda Lupine contrasting colors
 Lupines only make a small amount
of nectar for the pollinator. To
advertise that the flower is un-
pollinated and has nectar, the
banner petal or banner spot is
bright white or yellow.
 After the flower is pollinated,
the banner petal turns reddish-
https://www.hometownstation.com/local-news/scv-outdoor-report-2008-
04-17-13-01-2.html
purple - a cue to pollinators that
no more nectar is being produced
by that flower
This color change all involves a single  Bees (and even we) cannot
pigment type – the anthocyanins discriminate well between blue-
violet and magenta (bees can’t see
red)
© Project SOUND
http://www.spenceville.org/plant/Wildflowers.htm

10. Other bumblebee plants  Trees/shrubs
 California lilac (Ceanothus spp)
 Desert willow (Chilopsis linearis)
 Dogwood (Cornus glabrata)
 Manzanitas (Arctostaphylos
species)
 Willows (Salix species)
 Elderberry (Sambucus)
 Wildflowers (perennials &
Annuals)
 Columbines (Aquilegia species)
 Lupines (Lupinus species)
 Milkweeds (Asclepias species)
 Penstemons (Penstemon species)
 Phacelias (Phacelia species)
 Buckwheats (Eriogonum species)
 Sages (Salvia species)
 Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus &
Encelia)
 Goldenrods (Solidago & Euthamia
species)
© Project SOUND

11. But bumblebees aren’t the only pollinators
© Project SOUND

12. Yellow Tree Lupine - Lupinus arboreus
© Br. Alfred Brousseau, Saint Mary's College
CA coast from Ventura north;
Aggressive re-seeder – don’t plant near any native species
© Project SOUND

13. ‘Lupinus propinquus’ – Local form of Lupinus arboreus
Charles Webber © California Academy of Sciences
Local endemic in Marin Co, right near shore;
© Project SOUND

14. If you really want a tree lupine, perhaps your should
wait….for ‘L. payneii’
 Shrub 4-8 ft. high from a trunk-
like base, to 8 inches in diameter
 Flowers very fragrant, varying
from white through lilac, lavender,
purple
 Canyons of the Tapo Ranch, Santa
Susana, May, 1918, Theodore Payne
 ‘This plant has been under
observation by Mr. Payne for some
years. It grows on hillsides of a
reddish clay with occasional
outcroppings of gravel. Those with
long lavender blooms are quite like
a Wisteria in appearance and are
The Theodore Payne Foundation altogether the most showy of all
recently discovered some old seeds our southern lupines.’
of ‘L. payneii’
 This plant has been grouped with L.
longifolius – but Theodore Payne
(and others) suggested this was a
separate species
© Project SOUND

15. Our local perennial lupines are sub-shrubs
 Moderate sized :
2-4 ft tall & wide
 Have a woody root/base
 Branches are succulent,
at least at their outer
ends
 Local species:
 L. longifolius
 L. chamissonis
 L. albifrons
 L. excubitus var. halii
 L. formosus
Silver Bush Lupine – Lupinus albifrons © Project SOUND

16. Our local shrub lupines are very water-wise
 Most are adapted for – and do
best in – well-drained soils; some
even thrive in sand
 Most do best – and live longer –
if given only modest amounts of
summer water (Zone 1-2 or 2)
 A very wet winter (or over-
watering) can lead to the demise
of shrub lupines – in all but the
best-drained soils
 Most will be somewhat summer
dormant
© Project SOUND

17. Longleaf Bush Lupine - Lupinus longifolius
© 2005 Michael W. Tuma
© Project SOUND

18. Longleaf Bush Lupine - Lupinus longifolius
 Formerly Lupinus chamissonis
var. longifolius
 Southwestern CA from Santa
Barbara to Baja
 Coastal sage scrub, chaparral
and oak woodland
 Formerly frequent in the
foothills and on bluffs along
the seashore in Los Angeles,
Orange & San Diego counties
 Longifolius = long-leaved
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?3691,4023,4099
© Project SOUND

19. Garden conditions
 Soils:
 Texture: well-drained is a must (as for
most local bush lupines)
 pH: any local is fine
 Light:
 full sun (coastal) to part shade
 Water:
 Young plants: weekly (as needed) until
established
 Winter: moist soils; monitor & supplement in
very dry years
 Summer:
 Quite drought-tolerant; can get by with no
water in part-shade
 Will take infrequent (1-2 x per month) if
soils are well-drained
http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/bushlupine.html
 Fertilizer:
 None needed & use will likely decrease
Lupines don’t like to be moved – lifespan (true for all the bush lupines)
protect their roots
Protect young plants from predation
© Project SOUND

20. Dune Lupine – Lupinus chamissonis
© Project SOUND

21. Dune Lupine – Lupinus chamissonis
 Immediate CA coast from L.A. Co. to
Marin Co.
 chamissonis: after Adelbert von
Chamisso (1781-1838)
 Born Louis Charles Adélaïde de
Chamissot at the château of Boncourt in
Champagne, France
 Became a German botanist who
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?3691,4023,4053 botanized with J.F. Eschscholtz in the
San Francisco Bay region in 1816 – he
named the CA Poppy after Eschscholtz
 During his time in California, Chamisso
studied a number of native plant and
animal species; his inventory is
considered a valuable ecological record
to this day.
http://wiki.zum.de/Adelbert_von_Chamisso  Was also a poet & writer
© Project SOUND

22. Dune Lupine
 Always found quite near
the coast; on dunes,
bluffs, ocean strand
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericinsf/2407184634/in/set-72157604496267203/  Pretty much always on
rather sandy soils
 Gets some water from
ocean fog
 Subjected to maritime
conditions: wind, salt-
spray
© Project SOUND

23. Lupine leaves –
unusual & attractive
 Why palmate shape?
 ?? to funnel water to base
of plant?
 Why often silvery/velvety?
 ?? Protection from insects
 ?? Protection from sunlight
 ?? To collect moisture
http://www.flickr.com/photos/93523004@N00/2472655139/
© Project SOUND

24. Dune Lupine – flowers
that seem to glow
 Blooms:
 Early spring; usually Feb-Apr
in S. Bay
 Depends on winter rains
 Flowers:
 Silvery violet, with a hint of
pink; white/yellow spot
 Relatively large for local lupines
 Arranged along flowering
branches somewhat above
foliage – not very long
 Vegetative reproduction: ??
© Project SOUND

25. Plant Requirements  Soils:
 Texture: very well-drained; sandy
is best
 pH: any local
 Light: full sun; true of most of the
local lupines except those from
mountain forests
 Water:
 Winter: needs adequate winter
rain, but will not tolerate flooding
© Br. Alfred Brousseau, Saint Mary's College
 Summer: best with very little
summer along immediate coast
(but will be drought deciduous);
can give occasional water (Zone 1-
2)
 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils
 Other: looks best if pruned back
hard in winter © Project SOUND

26. Dune Lupine is perfect for
the coastal garden
 As an attractive accent plant
in coastal gardens
 Nice addition to a dry silvery
garden
 In a garden featuring coast
prairie or coastal strand
palettes
 Try with it’s natural coastal
partners: Baccharis pilularis,
Ericameria ericoides, Artemisia
californica, Croton californicus,
Camissonia cheiranthifolia,
Agrostis pallens
© Project SOUND
http://anniesannuals.com/plants/plant_display.asp?prodid=1985&account=none

27. Silver Bush Lupine – Lupinus albifrons
http://www.goingnativegardentour.org/pressroom/LupinusAlbifrons.jpg
© Project SOUND

28. Silvery Dune Lupine makes a
nice mid-size shrub
 Nice as a smaller foundation
plant
 Floral fragrance – plant where
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3175/2673277265_678df36ea6.jpg
you can enjoy
 Looks great with either yellow
or pink-flowering native
plants
 Quite hardy – fine for parking
strips, roadways
 Nice addition to rock garden
 Wonderful for the ‘evening
garden’ with its silvery foliage
http://norenes5percent.blogspot.com/2006_03_01_archive.html
© Project SOUND

29. Grape Soda Lupine – Lupinus excubitus var. hallii
http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/lupinus-excubitus
© Project SOUND

30. Grape Soda Lupine – Lupinus excubitus var. hallii
 Fairly limited range: Catalina
Island, Palos Verdes, Santa Monica
Mtns, San Gabriels and into Baja
 Harvey Monroe Hall (1874-1932)
 Author (1902) of A Botanical
Survey of San Jacinto Mountain
 A collector of plants in the Mt.
Pinos region in 1905 and on Santa
Cruz Island in 1908.
 Wrote a Flora of Yosemite (1912)
 In charge of the University of
California Herbarium at Berkeley
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?3691,4023,4065,4068 (1902- ).
 After a trip to Europe in 1929 to
study natural reserves, he
proposed the creation of "Natural
Areas," and specifically the White
Mountains and Harvey Monroe Hall
research areas near Yosemite
National Park
© Project SOUND

31. Grape Soda Lupine in local foothills
 Gravelly and sandy
places
 Chaparral &
Sagebrush scrub
to 4500’
 Often on banks &
hillsides
http://www.timetotrack.com/jay/socal/lupinex2.htm
© Project SOUND

32. Grape Soda Lupine: sometimes silvery
 Size: a bit smaller than other
local bush lupines
 2-3 ft tall
 2-3 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Typical sub-shrub local lupine
 Mounded to slightly sprawling
http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/lupinus-excubitus
 Foliage:
 Mostly quite low/basal
 Evergreen; silvery green, with
velvety hairs
 Quite attractive
 Roots: like all lupines, has a taproot
that resents disturbance
© Project SOUND

33. Local lupines – not always
so silvery
 Silvery plants are
often larger and
greener with more
water & shade
http://www.coestatepark.com/lupinus_albifrons_gp.htm http://www.csuchico.edu/bccer/Ecosystem/FloraFauna/pics/Flora/Lupinus_albifrons.JPG
© Project SOUND

34. Grape Soda Lupine has lovely flowers
 Blooms:
 Mid/late spring at higher
elevations
 Probably Mar-May in
western L.A. Co.
 Flowers:
 Similar in color & size to
Dune Lupine
 Range from silvery violet to
light magenta-violet
 Scented – reminiscent of
grape soda
 Attract bees, butterflies,
even moths & humans!
http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/lupinus-excubitus
© Project SOUND

35. Lupines are
master catapultists
 In general, Mother Nature likes to
spread genes around – locate
genetically similar offspring away
from parent plant
 This also keeps the new plants from
competing for light, water &
nutrients with the parent plant
 Lupines literally ‘fling’ their dried
seeds away from the parent plant:
 Drying pods under mechanical
stress
 When they reach a certain dryness
they fail - dramatically
 The large seeds are then further
carried by water or by small animals
that may cache them
© Project SOUND

36. Collecting lupine seeds – several approaches
 The nylon stocking
technique
 The paper bag technique
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/vex/toxic/lupine/lupine.htm
© Project SOUND
http://www.kidsgardening.com/growingideas/PROJECTS/aug04/pg1.html

37. Use Grape Soda Lupine in the scented garden
 Great as an accent
plant; foliage, flower &
scented accent
 Does well on hills,
slopes, other ‘difficult’
areas
 Great habitat plant;
bees, blue butterflies,
seed-eating ground
birds like doves
http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/hallsbushlupine.html
© Project SOUND

38. What if I have a shady yard?
http://www.downeasthost.com/vacationrental/lupine.jpg
© Project SOUND

39. Lupines from the local mountains and
from the North can take more water
 Native habitat: often more
shady
 Annual precipitation: for some,
more like garden conditions
 Examples (from local
mountains):
 Broad-leaf Lupine – Lupinus latifolius
 Burke’s (Meadow/ Big-leaf) Lupine
Lupinus polyphyllus var. burkei
 Sickle-keeled Lupine - Lupinus
albicaulis
© Project SOUND

40. * Broad-leaf Lupine – Lupinus latifolius
© Project SOUND

41. * Broad-leaf Lupine – Lupinus latifolius
 Foothills of the
Sierras, Coastal and
Transverse Ranges
 Locally: Santa Monica,
Simi Valley, Santa
ssp. latifolius Monica Mtns, San
Gabriels
 Moist places in woods,
shady to open areas,
many plant
communities below
7500'
ssp. parishii
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?3691,4023,4083,4088
© Project SOUND

42.  parishii: after brothers Samuel Bonsall Parish (1838-
1928) and William Fletcher Parish (1840-1918), both
botanical collectors who lived on a ranch in San
ssp. parishii Bernardino, California
 Made extensive exploring trips through the mountains
and deserts.
 Samuel was the more devoted of the two and
corresponded with and was on very familiar terms with
many of the leading botanists of his day.
 William served in the Civil War as a sergeant and later
sergeant-major. He is registered at San Bernardino up
to 1890, and at Long Beach in 1892. By 1906 he was living
at Redondo, and later in Hermosa Beach."
In Santa Monica
Mtns
http://www.timetotrack.com/jay/lupinel.htm
© 2004 Charles E. Jones
© Project SOUND

43. Flowers are quite showy
 Blooms:
 Apr-July in local foothills
 Probably Mar-May at lower
elevations
 Flowers:
 fragrant pinkish blue flowers
 2-3 foot long spikes
 Ssp. parishii particularly
showy!
 Vegetative reproduction:
 deep, lateral root system
 can spread vegetatively from
root sprouts, even from
pieces of root
© Project SOUND

44. Broadleaf Lupine may fill your garden needs
 Soils:
 Texture: well-drained, though
less picky than local natives
 pH: any local
 Light: full sun to light shade –
light shade preferable in hot
gardens
 Water:
 Winter: good winter water
 Summer: can take regular
water (Zone 2 or 2-3); ssp.
parishii can take drier
conditions
 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils
© Project SOUND

45. Burke’s (Meadow/ Big-leaf) Lupine
Lupinus polyphyllus var. burkei
Wet places in the mountains from San Gabriels, Sierras north
© Project SOUND

46. Sickle-keeled Lupine - Lupinus albicaulis
From N. CA Coast Range and Sierra foothills
© Project SOUND

47. Managing our local shrubby lupines
 Protect young plants from snails
& slugs
 Keep area around the plants
weed-free
 Don’t mulch right up to the
woody base – prevent root
fungal disease
 Be very vigilant in removing
these caterpillars
 Remove old flower heads and
woody foliage for neatness & to
renew
 Cut back to the base in late fall
to winter.
© Project SOUND

48. Annual lupines add some magic to the garden
http://gardendjinn.typepad.com/garden/2008/03/index.html
Coastal Palette combination
http://www.wallno1.com/r-flowers-14-lupine-and-poppies-tehachapi-mountains-california-29867.htm
Interior Palette combination
© Project SOUND

49. Growing native annual lupines
is quite easy
 Soils:
 Texture: usually any; often do best in well-
drained soils
 Usually any local pH
 Light:
 full sun (best) to bright shade
© 2001 Steven Thorsted
 Need bare soil (light) to germinate and grow
 Often fire-followers; or managed by Native
Californians
 Water:
 Adequate winter/spring water
 Best with no water after flowering
 Fertilizer: none needed; a little probably
won’t hurt
© Project SOUND
http://www.gardengates.info/The%20Local%20Wildflower%20
Page.htm

50. Some of the best small lupines are native to S. CA
© Lee Dittmann © Project SOUND
http://flickr.com/photos/repetti/59953037/in/set-1295791/

51. Miniature Lupine – Lupinus bicolor
http://picasaweb.google.com/greenonfire/SWOregonFlora#5189166267831777570
© Project SOUND

52. Bajada Lupine – Lupinus concinnus ssp. concinnus
Gary A. Monroe @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database © Project SOUND

53. Bajada Lupine – Lupinus concinnus ssp. concinnus
 A lupine of SW U.S. and
adjoining regions of
Mexico
 At least two sub-
populations - one desert;
?? Are they really
subspecies
 Open sandy areas to
5000‘
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?3691,4023,4057
 Grasslands/prairie
 Both CA deserts
 Common in disturbed
areas, burns
 concinnus: neat, well-
made, elegant
© Project SOUND
http://seinet.asu.edu/images/maps/seinet/swdots/Lupinus_concinnus.jpg

54. Bajada Lupine – a petite charmer
 Size:
 < 1 ft tall
 1-2 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Herbaceous annual
Patrick J. Alexander @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database  Upright or sprawling
 Foliage:
 Very hairy; velvety texture –
appears silvery
 Typical palmate leaves; quite
basal, often low to ground
 Looks like a desert plant
© Project SOUND
Gary A. Monroe @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

55. Flowers are also petite
 Blooms:
 Early spring; usually Mar.-
Apr. in western L.A. Co.
 Flowers:
Gary A. Monroe @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
 Color: red-purple to light
pink
 Small - ~ ¼ inch
 Spread on low flowering
stalks – may be only as tall
as the leaves.
 Don’t water after flowering
ceases – important for
proper seed development
© 2003 Christopher L. Christie Patrick J. Alexander @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
© Project SOUND

56. * Valley Lupine - Lupinus microcarpus var. microcarpus
(Lupinus subvexus var. subvexus)
Gary A. Monroe @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
Antelope Valley; W. San Gabriels © Project SOUND

57.  Lupines come in a select
The colors of lupine palette: white, pink, red, blues
of many hues, yellow, apricot.
 Many have bicolored flowers,
usually including white or
yellow contrasting with another
color.
 Why/how these colors?
 The pigments:
 Anthocyanins : appear blue/pink;
change from blue to pink w/
increasing pH (alkalinity)
 Carotenoids:
 Appear yellow/orange
 In Lupines, only seen if
anthocyanins are lacking
 How coloration evolved: co-
evolution with pollinators
 Large bees attracted by blue-
purple flowers
 Hummingbirds attracted by
http://www.visionsofheaven.com/AAngels/newsletter_art/lupine.jpg
red/red-violet/ orange
© Project SOUND
http://www.beachwatchers.wsu.edu/ezidweb/shoreplants/Lupinusarboreus.htm

58. * Yellow Chick Lupine - Lupinus densiflorus var. aureus
(Lupinus microcarpus var. densiflorus)
http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/wildflower_annual.html
Antelope Valley; San Gabriels; Liebre Mtns
© Project SOUND

59. Mid-size annual lupines look great massed
http://www.resimsite.com/img155.htm
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/11104501 © Project SOUND

60. Why include annual Lupines
in your garden?
 Attractive & unique foliage
 Showy, decorative flowers; many
shades of white, blue, lavender,
magenta
 Great habitat plants:
© 2006 Chris Wagner, SBNF
 Nectar: butterflies, native bees &
even hummingbirds
 Foliage: Blue Butterfly larval food
 Seeds: ground-eaters like doves,
quail
 Improve soil nutrients (N)
 Many are quite easy to grow once
you get the seeds to germinate
© Project SOUND
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LUHI3

61. Lupines: important role in ecosystems
 The name Lupinus means "wolf,"
referring to the untrue notion
that this plant robs nutrients
from the soil.
 In fact, Lupine (along with other
species in the Pea family) actually
adds useable nitrogen to the soil
 Mutualistic relationship with
nitrogen-fixing bacteria
 Bacteria for nodules (‘nitrogen
fixing factories’) on roots
 Nitrogen is converted to a form
useable by plants – ‘nitrogen fixing’
 Leave the roots in the soil after
harvesting, to achieve full
benefits
 The down-side of increased soil N
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2005/12/07_mutualism.shtml © Project SOUND
http://www.laspilitas.com/classes/pictures/lotus_nodules.jpg

62. Truncated Lupine is a small/mid-size lupine
 Size:
 1-2 ft tall & wide (usually ~ 1 ft)
 Growth form:
 Somewhat conical – kind of like a
pine tree
 Foliage:
 Typical lupine gray-green
 Typical lupine leaves – but with
trucated leaflets (hence its common
name)
 Roots:
 Tap-root; best if seeded in ground
© 2003 Michael Charters
 Like all lupines, have symbiotic
relationship with nitrogen-fixing
bacteria
© Project SOUND
http://www.researchlearningcenter.com/bloom/species/Lupinus_truncatus.htm

63. Truncated Lupine –
lovely flowers
 Blooms: usually March-April in S. Bay
 Flowers:
 Sparsely distributed on spike
well-above foliage
 Color: violet-purple to magenta;
becomes darker after pollination
 Fragrant
 Pollinated usually by larger bees
 Seeds:
 Relatively large; mottled brown
 In hairy pods that break apart
explosively, flinging the seeds
© 2003 Michael Charters  Eaten by doves, quail
http://www.researchlearningcenter.com/bloom/species/Lupinus_truncatus.htm © Project SOUND

64. Tricks to propagating lupines from seed
 Generally, fresh seeds need no
pretreatment.
 Stored seeds may benefit from
scarification or hot water treatment but
results vary by species and other
conditions – if seeds germinate poorly,
try the treatments
 Scarify using sandpaper for 5 minutes.
Heat water (hot tap water) and soak
seeds overnight. Seeds that do not
imbibe need to be re-scarified and
soaked
http://www.hazmac.biz/060828/060828LupinusExcubitusHallii2.html  As a rule, lupines resent handling, but
may be started in flats if shifted while
still small and transplanted with no delay.
Seeds may also be planted in fiber pots
and the plants can be set intact into the
beds, after first removing the bottom
section of the pot
© Project SOUND

65. Consider direct seeding – even for local
shrub lupines
 In San Francisco, the National
Park Service has found that
hand broadcasting and raking in
Lupinus spp. seeds worked
better than planting nursery
propagated seedlings—in fact,
their transplants had only 10%
http://www.sciencebuff.org/newsletter_1_october_2008.php
survival.
 To plant in situ, seeds should be
broadcast where wanted (bare
ground), raked in, and covered
lightly with twiggy branches
© Project SOUND

66. Stinging Lupine is another moderate-size local lupine
 Size:
 1-4 ft tall (including
flowering stalk)
 1-2 ft wide
 Growth form: basal rosette of
foliage (mounded).
 Foliage:
 Typical blue-green lupine
color
 Leaves are typical for Lupine,
but slightly larger, more
rounded & showy
© 2005 Michelle Cloud-Hughes
© Project SOUND

67. Because they are vulnerable on bare slopes,
Stinging Lupines need protection from predation
© 2002 Hartmut Wisch
© Project SOUND

68. Warfare in the garden: Lupine defenses
 Lupines have succulent
young leaves. They
protect themselves
with:
 Physical barriers: hairs
 Chemical warfare:
 ‘stinging’ hairs; release
chemicals that induce
allergic skin rash
 Toxic substances in their
foliage
 Toxic seeds (at least to
mammals)
http://www.smmtc.org/plant_of_the_month_200604_Lupine.htm
© Project SOUND

69. What is lupine  Many lupines (and others in the pea
family) produce levels of alkaloids
toxicity? (bitter tasting compounds) that make
the seed unpalatable and sometimes
toxic.
 Eating mature/dried plants & pods can
cause several syndromes (the green
plants are usually safe):
(1) convulsions after exercise due to
alkaloids in the seeds;
(2) liver damage caused by fungal toxins
(phomopsins) produced by Phomopsis
spp. growing in the seeds, which also
causes intermittent photosensitization
(called also lupinosis);
http://www.ars.usda.gov/pandp/people/people.ht
m?personid=4284
(3) possibly precipitation of acute attacks
So, never eat lupine seeds; of copper poisoning;
if kids/animals may be (4) skeletal myopathy; and
tempted to eat pods/seeds, (5) pregnancy toxemia and acetonemia in
then remove mature pods cows.
 In animals, toxicity occurs when
animals consume large amounts of pods
in a brief period
© Project SOUND

70. Coulter’s Lupine – Lupinus sparsiflorus
http://www.delange.org/LupineCoulters/LupineCoulters.htm
© Project SOUND

71. Coulter’s Lupine – Lupinus sparsiflorus ssp. sparsiflorus
 The species:
southwestern U.S. &
bordering regions of
Mexico, Baja
 ssp. sparsiflorus:
 Western CA & Baja
ssp. sparsiflorus  Locally: Gardena Plain
(Hawthorne), PV,
Santa Monica & San
Gabriel Mtns, San
http://seinet.asu.edu/seinet/symbiota/taxa/taxaprofile.php?taxon=Lupinus%20sparsiflorus
Clemente Island
© Project SOUND

72. You’ve probably seen this lupine in the
desert or on burn areas
http://waynesword.palomar.edu/sagefls2.htm
© Project SOUND

73. Coulter’s Lupine: upright form gives a
competitive advantage?
 Size:
 2-3 ft tall
 2-3 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Herbaceous annual wildflower
 Upright growth
 Foliage:
 Leaves often blue-green
 Leaflets often folded (like a
http://www.delange.org/LupineCoulters/LupineCoulters.htm
taco shell)
 Flowers: held rather high above
foliage - and above other annuals
 Note: foliage, seeds and pods
are particularly toxic
© Project SOUND

74. Annual lupines: sun & winter water is the trick
 Soils:
 Texture: most, but do best in well-
drained sandy or rocky soils
 pH: any local
 Light: full sun
 Water:
 Winter: needs adequate water for
good growth; supplement if
needed
 Summer: none after pods develop
 Fertilizer: none; like poor soils
http://www.researchlearningcenter.org/bloom/species/Lupinus_sparsiflorus.htm © Project SOUND

75. Arroyo (Succulent) Lupine – Lupinus succulentis
© Project SOUND

76. Succulent Lupine – Lupinus succulentis
 Other names: Arroyo Lupine;
Hollow-leaf Lupine
 Grows in open and disturbed areas,
grassy slopes < 2500 ft
 Roots: 3 ft; nitrogen-fixing
 Flowers: mostly blue, but may be
pinkish or white
 Pollinators: bees
 Food source for: hummingbirds,
larva of various butterflies, bees
 Self-sows easily if seed falls on
bare ground; can remain in ground
for years waiting for good winter
rains
http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Fabaceae/Lupinus_succulentus
© Project SOUND

77. Garden uses for mid-
size annual lupines
 For their wonderful blue-violet color
 Unusual color for sun-lovers; most good
blues are in shade-loving native annuals
 Combine with yellow-flowered annuals
for an eye-popping show
http://gardendjinn.typepad.com/garden/page/2/  In gardens featuring Coastal Prairie,
Coastal Shrubland, CSS and desert
plant palettes
 For dune/slope stabilization
 Combine with their usual partners:
annual wildflowers (CA poppy; Owls
Clover), bulb/corms and native grasses
 Look absolutely fabulous massed
 And great candidates for pots
http://www.timetotrack.com/jay/lupines2.htm
Massing plants increases habitat value © Project SOUND

78. Summer Lupine – Lupinus formosus
http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/lupinus-formosus
© Project SOUND

79. Summer Lupine – Lupinus formosus
 Western U.S. from OR
to Baja
 Most of CA west of
Sierras
 Locally: Griffith Park,
?Palos Verdes, San
Clemente Isl, foothills
of Santa Monica & San
Gabriel Mtns
 Usually in dry clay
soils, grasslands, open
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?3691,4023,4072,4073 areas under pines,
oaks & chaparral
shrubs, generally in
valleys
© Project SOUND

80. In wild – summer bloomer
© 2008 Toni Corelli
© Project SOUND

81. Summer Lupine: a rare summer-blooming
perennial lupine
 Size:
 2-3 ft tall
 2-3 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Herbaceous perennial
 Usually upright growth; most
foliage quite low (< 1 ft.)
 Foliage:
 Leaves relatively large for
lupine; leaflets broad
 Densely hairy; silvery or gray-
green
 Roots: spreads via underground
rhizomes
http://www.coestatepark.com/lupinus_formosus_gp.htm
© Project SOUND

82. Welcome blooms in
late spring/summer
 Blooms:
 Mid/late spring or later
 Usually May-July in S. CA
 Flowers:
 Medium size: ~ ½ inch
 Often pale lavender or pink-
lavender
 Very fragrant; nice addition
to summer garden
 Vegetative reproduction: yes
© 2008 Toni Corelli
© Project SOUND

83. Summer Lupine is well suited to water-
wise summer gardens…
 Soils:
 Texture:
 Just about any;
 Well-drained is best, but takes
anything from sandy to clay
 pH: any local
 Light: full sun
 Water:
 Young plants: good water first year
 Winter: needs adequate; supplement if
needed – take care not to over water
in clay soils
 Summer: best with none/little (Zone 1
http://www.coestatepark.com/lupinus_formosus_gp.htm or 1-2 best; 2 in sandy soils); withhold
after flowering
© Project SOUND

84. So, take a tip from the ultimate gardener (Mother Nature)
© Project SOUND

85. Consider using some of our water-wise local natives
© Project SOUND

86. Add a little zip to your spring garden…
http://www.southwestgardener.com/blogs/labels/desert.html
© Project SOUND

87. And enjoy local lupines, even (especially?) on a rainy day!
© Project SOUND