Lupin Varieties
What is it?
The Lupine, also known as Lupin, is an exceptionally beautiful wildflower that is well known throughout many parts of the world. It has become significantly popular with avid gardeners as a perennial ornamental flower, that can come in a magnificent array of show-stopping colors.
Lupins belong to the Lupinus genus and are part of the legume family, Fabaceae. Lupinus is a Latin word meaning “wolf”, as many years ago, people thought the Lupin plants wiped out all of the nutrients from the soil. However, it has been discovered that they do the complete opposite! Lupines are nitrogen-fixing plants, which means they take nitrogen from the air and send it down through their roots, making the soil more fertile.
Varieties
There are nearly 200 different varieties of lupin plants, which consist of mainly herbaceous perennials, but also some annuals, and there are some shrub varieties that can grow up to 10 feet tall. There is one tree species, the Lupinus jaimehintonian, in Mexico that can grow to 26 feet!
There are 2 main varieties of lupin that are used for human consumption; Lupinus angustifolius (Blue Lupin), and Lupinus Albus (Sweet White Lupin). Sweet white lupins produce a small, cream-colored seed that is circular and flattened, while Blue lupin produces a small, round, and speckled seed.
Origin
One of the most popular lupins amongst gardeners in North America, is the Lupinis polyphyllus, also known as large-leaved lupin, blue-pod lupin and garden lupin. In the wild, these usually have blue or purple flowers, which color many coasts from California, to British Columbia. to Maine and more.
However, a British horticulturist named George Russell spent over 20 years selectively breeding lupins by hand, until he finally perfected the fabulous rainbow of colors that can be seen today, the “Russell Lupin”. Russell created beautiful, full lupins in different reds, corals, yellows, and pinks, among a rainbow of other colors, and even bi-color lupins. In 1937, he was finally convinced to display his work at a Royal Horticulture Society flower show, which rocked the gardening world!
It’s important to note though, that the Russell lupin, and other ornamental varieties are highly toxic and should not be eaten.