Lupinus (Lupine Flowers)

flowers · legumes · gardens · wild plants

Colorful flower spikes. Lupines grow tall flower spikes packed with tiny blooms in colors like purple, blue, pink, and white. They're so pretty that people grow them in gardens all around the world.

Part of the legume family. Lupines belong to the same plant family as beans and peas, which means their roots can pull nitrogen from the air to make soil richer. This makes them super useful for gardens.

Born in the Americas. Most lupine species come from North and South America, with smaller groups native to North Africa and the Mediterranean region. They've spread to many other places because people love them.

Food and ornaments. People grow lupines as beautiful ornamental plants in gardens, and some species produce seeds that can be eaten as a nutritious food source, kind of like beans.

Can become invasive. In some places like Iceland, lupines have become such a problem that they're crowding out native plants and changing the landscape since the early 2000s.