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Lupine
Common
Name(s):
Lupine
Scientific
Name:
Lupinus
sp. L.
Scientific
Name Synonyms:
None known
Symbol:
LUPIN
Description:
Life
Span: Perennial
or Annual
Origin:
Native
Season: Cool
Growth Characteristics:
A
complex group of erect to ascending forbs, 10 to 24 inches tall,
with 1 to several stems growing from a shortly branching taproot.
Flowers June to August, fruits mature July to September. It reproduces
from seeds.
Flowers/Inflorescence:
Flowers
are small and spurred at the base, color can range from white to
purple. They are attached to the stem by a slender stalk (raceme).
Each flower has 5 large stamens and 5 small stamens.
Fruits/Seeds:Legume
(pea pod), somewhat flattened, usually hairy, bearing 2-12 seeds
per pod.
Leaves: Palm
shaped with finger-like segments. They can be hairy to silky and
silvery on both surfaces.
Ecological
Adaptations:
Widespread
from valley bottoms to high mountain areas. Because this plant is
a legume it has nodules on its roots that form a symbiotic relationship
with bacteria that fix nitrogen and thus aids in building soil fertility.
Soils: Adapted
to a broad range of soil textures, but most abundant in coarse-textured
and well-drained soils.
Associated Species:
Aster,
mountain brome, aspen,
and sagebrush.
Uses and
Management:
Lupine
is poor forage for cattle and fair for sheep before the legume fruit
develops. It provides fair to good forage for elk and deer. Cattle
may be attracted to the legumes and graze them selectively. Lupine
is poisonous, especially to sheep and horses. Alkaloids are concentrated
in the seeds and occasionally in the young plants. Plants are poisonous
either green or dry, and poisoning seldom occurs when other forage
is adequate. Poisoning can cause blindness within 10 minutes. The
most characteristic symptoms of lupine poisoning are: 1) excitement,
leading to running about and butting into other objects; 2) convulsions,
accompanying attacks of dyspnea; and 3) heavy and labored breathing.
In sheep, symptoms may not appear for 1 - 24 hours after eating
the plant. Poisoning can also cause fetus deformities in pregnant
animals. Some lupines can cause "crooked calf" disease
if consumed between the 40th and 70th day of gestation.
A drug has been extracted from lupine for management of cardiac
arrhythmias.
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