''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in t ...

and the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on th ...

. They are widely cultivated, both as a food source and as ornamental plants, but are invasive to some areas.

Description

The species are mostly

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition ...

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

s tall, but some are annual plants and a few are

shrubs A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

up to tall. An exception is the ''chamis de monte'' (''

Lupinus jaimehintoniana ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur ...

'') of

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Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

, which is a

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

up to tall. Lupins have soft green to grey-green leaves which may be coated in silvery hairs, often densely so. The leaf blades are usually

palmate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular ...

ly divided into five to 28 leaflets, or reduced to a single leaflet in a few species of the

southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern po ...

and eastern

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...

. The flowers are produced in dense or open whorls on an erect spike, each flower long. The pea-like flowers have an upper standard, or banner, two lateral wings, and two lower

petal Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usuall ...

s fused into a keel. The flower shape has inspired common names such as

bluebonnets Bluebonnet is a name given to any of a number of purple-flowered species of the genus '' Lupinus'' predominantly found in southwestern United States and is collectively the state flower of Texas. The shape of the petals on the flower resembles ...

and quaker bonnets. The fruit is a pod containing several seeds. The seeds contain

alkaloid Alkaloids are a class of basic BASIC (Beginners' All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages designed for ease of use. The original version was created by John G. Kemeny and Th ...

s which lend them a bitter taste.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Lupinus'' L. and, in particular, its North American species were divided by

Sereno Watson Sereno Watson (December 1, 1826 in East Windsor Hill, Connecticut – March 9, 1892 in Cambridge, Massachusetts) was an American botanist. Graduating from Yale in 1847 in Biology, he drifted through various occupations until, in California, he ...

(1873) into three sections: ''Lupinus'', ''Platycarpos'', and ''Lupinnelus''. Differences in habitat and in the number of

ovule In seed plants, the ovule is the structure that gives rise to and contains the female reproductive cells. It consists of three parts: the '' integument'', forming its outer layer, the ''nucellus'' (or remnant of the megasporangium), and the f ...

s were the basis for this classification. A majority of the perennial and annual species from the American continent described by Watson were referred to ''Lupinus''. Some annual species with two ovules in the ovary and two seeds in the pod (''L. densiflorus'', ''L. microcarpus'', etc.) were attributed to the ''Platycarpos'' section. Section ''Lupinnelus'' consisted of one species (''L. uncialis''), with axillary and solitary flowers, scarcely reflexed banner, and also with two ovules in the ovary. While Watson's work was predominantly based on study of North American species, the later research of Ascherson and Graebner (1907) extended his principle of classification to cover all lupins from the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, also using number of ovules (seedbuds) in the ovary (and thus of seeds in the pod) as the criterion for this division. They described two subgenera, ''Eulupinus'' and ''Platycarpos''. Most of the described species were referred to subgen. A. ''Eulupinus''. Subgen. B. ''Platycarpos'' included several annual species from the Eastern Hemisphere with two seedbuds and seeds in the bean (the same species, as the one specified by S. Watson). A current schema retains this distinction, but uses the nomenclature for the subgenera of ''Platycarpos'' and ''Lupinus''. In this schema, subgenus

Platycarpos The genus ''Lupinus'' L. and, in particular, its North-American species, were divided by Sereno Watson (1873) into three parts: ''Lupinus'', ''Platycarpos'' and ''Lupinnelus''. Differences in habit and in the number of ovules were accepted as th ...

(S.Wats.) Kurl. contains perennial and annual species from the Western Hemisphere, with a minimum two or more ovules or seedbuds. Subgenus ''Lupinus'' consists of 12 species from Africa and the Mediterranean, with a minimum of four ovules or seedbuds.Kurlovich, B. S. and A. K. Stankevich. (eds.
Classification of Lupins.
In: ''Lupins: Geography, Classification, Genetic Resources and Breeding''. St. Petersburg: Intan. 2002. pp. 42–43. Accessed 2 August 2013. The taxonomy of ''Lupinus'' has always been confusing. How many distinct species exist or how they might be organized within the genus is not clear. The plants are variable and the taxa are not always distinct from one another. Some American taxa have been described as complexes rather than separate species.Naganowska, B., et al. (2005)
2C DNA variation and relationships among New World species of the genus ''Lupinus'' (Fabaceae).
''Plant Systematics and Evolution'' 256(1-4), 147-57. Estimates of the number of lupine species generally fall between 200 and 500. One authority places the estimate at approximately 267 species worldwide. Currently, two

subgenera In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed betwee ...

are recognized.

Subgenus ''Platycarpos''

The ovary contains two and more ovules or seedbuds. The seed are predominantly small-sized, with an underdeveloped embryo and small amount of endosperm. Cotyledons are small-sized, with long caulicles. The first pair of true leaves is alternate. The stem is predominantly naked with waxen coating. Dominating is the monopodial type of branching. Leaflets are smooth, with waxen coating or slight pubescence, predominantly narrow. Pods are flat or orbicular, with two or more seeds. Represented by frutcuilose, fruticose and herbaceous perennial forms, or less often annual ones. Plants are cross-pollinated.

Chromosome number Ploidy () is the number of complete sets of chromosomes in a cell, and hence the number of possible alleles for autosomal and pseudoautosomal genes. Sets of chromosomes refer to the number of maternal and paternal chromosome copies, respectiv ...

2''n'' is either 36, 48, or 96. This subgenus is distributed throughout North, Central and South America, predominantly in the mining systems of the Andes and Cordillera. Some species are cultivated (''L. mutabilis'', ''L. polyphyllus''). This subgenus includes several hundred species, requiring further analysis of their authenticity. It comprises the following species: * '' Lupinus aberrans'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus abramsii'' C.P. Sm. – Abrams' lupine * '' Lupinus acopalcus'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus adinoanthus'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus adsurgens'' Drew – Drew's silky lupine * ''

Lupinus affinis ''Lupinus affinis'' is a species of lupine known by the common name fleshy lupine. It is native to the California Coast Ranges from the San Francisco Bay Area north, and into southern Oregon, where it is an uncommon member of the flora in several ...

'' J. Agardh – fleshy lupine * '' Lupinus agardhianus'' A. Heller * '' Lupinus alaristatus'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus albert-smithianus'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus albescens'' Hook. & Arn. – hoary lupine * '' Lupinus albicaulis'' Douglas – sickle-keel lupine * ''

Lupinus albifrons ''Lupinus albifrons'', silver lupine, white-leaf bush lupine, or evergreen lupine, is a species of lupine (lupin). It is native to California and Oregon, where it grows along the coast and in dry and open meadows, prairies and forest clearings. ...

'' Benth. – silver bush lupine ** var. ''albifrons'' Benth. ** var. ''douglasii'' (J. Agardh) C. P. Sm. ** var. ''hallii'' (Abrams) Isely * '' Lupinus albopilosus'' A. Heller * '' Lupinus albosericeus'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus alcis-montis'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus aliamandus'' C.P. Sm. * ''

Lupinus aliattenuatus ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur ...

'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus alibicolor'' C.P. Sm. * ''

Lupinus aliceae ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur ...

'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus alilatissimus'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus alinanus'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus alipatulus'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus alirevolutus'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus alivillosus'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus allargyreius'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus alopecuroides'' Desr. * '' Lupinus alpestris'' A. Nelson * ''

Lupinus altimontanus ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur ...

'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus altiplani'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus amabayensis'' C.P. Sm. * ''

Lupinus amandus ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur ...

'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus amboensis'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus ammophilus'' Greene ** var. ''ammophilus'' Greene ** var. ''crassus'' (Payson) Isely * ''

Lupinus amnis-otuni ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur ...

'' C.P. Sm. * ''

Lupinus ampaiensis ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur ...

'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus amphibius'' Suksd. * '' Lupinus ananeanus'' Ulbr. * '' Lupinus anatolicus'' W. Święcicki & W. K. Święcicki * '' Lupinus andersonii'' S. Watson – Anderson's lupine * '' Lupinus andicola'' Gillies * '' Lupinus andinus'' Rose ex J. F. Macbr. * '' Lupinus angustiflorus'' Eastw. – narrowflower lupine * '' Lupinus antensis'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus antiplani'' C. P. Sm. * ''

Lupinus antoninus ''Lupinus antoninus'' is a rare species of lupine known by the common name Anthony Peak lupine. It is endemic to northern California, where it is known from only four occurrences in the North Coast Ranges, including near Anthony Peak. Descript ...

'' Eastw. – Anthony Peak lupine * ''

Lupinus apertus ''Lupinus apertus'', summit lupine, is a species of flowering plant from the order of Lamiales which is native to Nevada and California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39. ...

'' A. Heller * ''

Lupinus appositus ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur ...

'' C.P. Sm. * ''

Lupinus arboreus ''Lupinus arboreus'', the yellow bush lupine (US) or tree lupin (UK), is a species of flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. Description ''Lupinus arboreus'' is an evergreen shrub growing to tall (hence the alternative common name, tree ...

'' Sims – yellow bush lupin, tree lupine * '' Lupinus arbustus'' Lindl. – longspur lupine ** subsp. ''arbustus'' Lindl. ** subsp. ''neolaxiflorus'' D.B.Dunn ** subsp. ''pseudoparviflorus'' (Rydb.) D.B.Dunn * '' Lupinus arbutosocius'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus archeranus'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus arcticus'' S. Watson – Arctic lupine ** subsp. ''arcticus'' S. Watson ** subsp. ''subalpinus'' (Piper & Robinson)D.B.Dunn * '' Lupinus arenarius'' Gardner * '' Lupinus arequipensis'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus argenteus'' Pursh – silvery lupine ** var. ''argentatus'' (Rydb.) Barneby ** var. ''argenteus'' Pursh ** var. ''argophyllus'' (A. Gray) S. Watson ** var. ''depressus'' (Rydb.) C. L. Hitchc. ** var. ''fulvomaculatus'' (Payson) Barneby ** var. ''heteranthus'' (S. Watson) Barneby – Kellogg's spurred lupine ** var. ''hillii'' (Greene) Barneby ** var. ''holosericeus'' (Torr. & A.Gray) Barneby ** var. ''montigenus'' (A. Heller) Barneby ** var. ''palmeri'' (S.Watson) Barneby ** var. ''rubricaulis'' (Greene) S. L. Welsh ** var. ''utahensis'' (S.Watson) Barneby * '' Lupinus argurocalyx'' C.P. Sm. * ''

Lupinus aridorum ''Lupinus aridorum'' is a rare species of lupine known by the common name scrub lupine. It is endemic to Florida in the United States, where there were 10 known populations remaining in 2003.USFWSScrub lupine Five-year Review.November 2007. Fewe ...

'' McFarlin ex Beckner – scrub lupine * '' Lupinus aridulus'' C.P. Sm. * ''

Lupinus aridus ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur ...

'' Lindl. * ''

Lupinus ariste-josephii ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur ...

'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus arizelus'' C.P. Sm. * ''

Lupinus arizonicus ''Lupinus arizonicus'', the Arizona lupine, is a flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae, native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of North America, where it can be found growing in open places and sandy washes below elevation. It is co ...

'' (S. Watson) S. Watson ** subsp. ''arizonicus'' (S. Watson) S. Watson – Arizona lupine ** subsp. ''sonorensis'' Christian & D. Dunn – Sonora lupine * '' Lupinus arvensi-plasketti'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus arvensis'' Benth. * '' Lupinus asa-grayanus'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus aschenbornii'' S. Schauer * '' Lupinus asplundianus'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus asymbepus'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus atropurpureus'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus attenuatus'' Gardner * ''

Lupinus aureonitens ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur ...

'' Hook. & Arn. * '' Lupinus austrobicolor'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus austrohumifusus'' C.P. Sm. * ''

Lupinus austrorientalis ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur ...

'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus austrosericeus'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus ballianus'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus bandelierae'' C.P. Sm. * ''

Lupinus bangii ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with center of diversity, centers of diversity in North and South America. Sm ...

'' Rusby * '' Lupinus barbatilabius'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus barkeri'' Lindl. * '' Lupinus bartlettianus'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus benthamii'' A. Heller * '' Lupinus bi-inclinatus'' C.P. Sm. * ''

Lupinus bicolor ''Lupinus bicolor'' is a species of lupine known as the miniature lupine, Lindley's annual lupine, pigmy-leaved lupine, or bicolor lupine. It is a showy flowering annual or perennial plant native to western North America, from northwestern Baj ...

'' Lindl. – miniature lupine, bicolor lupine, Lindley's annual lupine ** subsp. ''bicolor'' Lindl. ** subsp. ''microphyllus'' (S. Watson) D. B. Dunn ** subsp. ''pipersmithii'' (A. Heller) D. B. Dunn ** subsp. ''umbellatus'' (Greene) D. B. Dunn * '' Lupinus bingenensis'' Suksd. – Bingen lupine * ''

Lupinus blaisdellii ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur i ...

'' Eastw. * '' Lupinus bogotensis'' Benth. * '' Lupinus bolivianus'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus bombycinocarpus'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus bonplandius'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus boyacensis'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus brachypremnon'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus bracteolaris'' Desr. * ''

Lupinus brandegeei ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with center of diversity, centers of diversity in North and South America. Sm ...

'' Eastw. * '' Lupinus brevecuneus'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus brevicaulis'' S. Watson – shortstem lupine * ''

Lupinus brevior ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur ...

'' (Jeps.) Christian & D.B. Dunn * ''

Lupinus breviscapus ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur ...

'' Ulbr. * ''

Lupinus breweri ''Lupinus breweri'' is a species of lupine known by the common names Brewer's lupine and matted lupine. It is native to much of California, except for the deserts, and to adjacent sections of Oregon and Nevada, where it is common in some areas, ...

'' A. Gray – Brewer's lupine * '' Lupinus bryoides'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus buchtienii'' Rusby * '' Lupinus burkartianus'' C.P. Sm. * ''

Lupinus burkei ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur ...

'' S. Watson – Burke's lupine * ''

Lupinus burkeri ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur ...

'' Lindl. * ''

Lupinus caballoanus ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur ...

'' B.L. Turner * ''

Lupinus cachupatensis ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with center of diversity, centers of diversity in North and South America. Sm ...

'' C.P. Sm. * ''

Lupinus cacuminis ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur ...

'' Standl. * '' Lupinus caeruleus'' A. Heller * ''

Lupinus caesius ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur ...

'' Eastw. * '' Lupinus caespitosus'' Torr. & A. Gray – stemless dwarf lupine * '' Lupinus calcensis'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus caldasensis'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus camiloanus'' C.P. Sm. * '' Lupinus campestris''