Wild
Lupine Lupinus Perennis
Description:
Is a native warm season perennial belonging to the family Fabaceae, or
bean family. Plants are up to 60cm tall.
Leaf: Leaves are alternate, stalked, and compound. Each
leaf has 7-11 smooth-edged leaflets radiating from a common point, with each
leaflet up to 2” long but less than 1/2” wide.
Flower: Each individually stalked blue flower is
about ½” long, with an erect, fanlike upper petal and a protruding lower lip
flanked by 2 side petals. The elongate flower clusters are at the top of the
stems. The fruits are small, hairy pods up to 2” long. Elongate flower clusters
at the tops of the stems.
Blooming months: May-July.
Stem: Hairy-stemmed plants up to 2’ tall.
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Discussion:
The federally listed endangered Karner Blue butterfly is dependent on
this plant as a larval food source.
Distribution:
Locally common in sandy open woodlands with other prairie plants,
sometimes in sterile sand prairies. Found in the northeastern tallgrass region
from northern Illinois and Minnesota eastward.
-
Native
or Introduced to
Location:
N41048.677’ W089040.972’
Copyright:
© 2004 Nancy Trainor,
References:
Keller, Carolyn. Prairie Plants of
Ladd, Doug. Tallgrass Prairie Wildflowers, The Nature Conservancy, 1995.
Peterson, Roger Tory. Wildflowers
Northeastern/North Central
Mohlenbroch, Robert H., and John W. Voigt. Prairie Plants
of
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