the.com/lupine
a flower so good at fixing nitrogen it turns dead dirt into farmland
means Of, resembling, or characteristic of a wolf — and, separately, the name of a tall garden flower in the pea family.
from From Latin lupinus, "wolfish," the adjective built on lupus, "wolf." The plant got the same name because of an old belief that it was so greedy it "wolfed down" and exhausted the soil — ironic, since lupines actually enrich poor ground by fixing nitrogen. The wolf root also lurks in "lupus," the disease, and gives us the constellation Lupus.
- soil engineer
- Pulls nitrogen from air, fertilizing barren ground for free
- toxic seeds
- Wild varieties carry bitter alkaloids that poison livestock
- edible cousin
- Sweet lupin beans are protein-packed Mediterranean snacks
- arctic survivor
- Seeds sprouted after 10,000 years frozen in permafrost
- name origin
- From Latin lupus, wolf, once blamed for devouring soil
lupine meadows oregon coast — wildflower fields in willamette valley, oregon bloom purple-blue each june
lupinus perennis maine — native wild lupine species endangered in maine, official state flower since 1895
lupine festival sonoma county — annual springtime celebration in california wine country when hillsides turn violet with blooms