Division Magnoliophyta
Class Magnoloipsida
Order Rosales
Family Leguminosae-or Fabaceae
Genus : Lupinus
Species: Albus

Lupini Bean: the seed of the L. Albus
White Lupine: the L. Albus

“One to rot and one to grown, One for the pigeon and one for the crow.”
— Old English Planting Rhyme2
The genus Lupinus is made up of about 300 species of annuals, perennials, and evergreen sub-shrubs or shrubs. These plants are found mostly in the Mediterranean region, North Africa, and North, Central and South America where they are grow on dry hilly grassland or coastal sands or cliffs or along the banks of streams and rivers.
Lupines should be grown in a sunny site where the soil is slightly acidic with a pH in the range of 4.5-7.5. The soil should be light, moderately fertile and well draining. Lupines can tolerate some alkaline soils up to pH 8.0 provided the soils are free draining and not subjected to prolonged waterlogging. Waterlogging should be avoided because plants are very prone to root-rot. If planted in heavier soil plants will grow and flower but tend to die out after a few years. Even in their ideal soil these plants tend to be somewhat short-lived.
Plants can easily be raised from seed. Soak the seed for 24 hours in tepid water before sowing. One can sow out-of-doors in the autumn or indoors in the late winter or early spring after a period of wetlcold stratification (4 to 6 weeks). Plants will flower the year after planting. Plants are sensitive to high temperatures and hot drying winds during flowering. Lupines typically flower in June. Deadheading often results in a second flush of flowers in late July or August, although the spikes will be smaller than those of June will. Lupines will self-seed very easily so deadhead to prevent this happening. Basal cuttings can be taken mid- to late spring to propagate fine cultivars.
Additionally, Lupines are susceptible to heliothis damage. Other insect pests include Lucerne seed-web moth, aphids, thrips and blue oat mites. They are also prone to the following diseases — cucumber mosaic virus, brown leaf spot, phomopsis stem blight and gray leaf spot.

The plant is indigenous to west Asia and south Europe. It is probably of Egyptian or East Mediterranean origin, and has been cultivated since the days of the ancient Egyptians.
The Mediterranean white Lupine has been used as a subsistence crop for three thousand years or more. They have been cultivated in the Mediterranean region since ancient times for enriching the soil. The seeds of some species have also been roasted or boiled and used as food in that region. The Lupine as a crop species was important to many of the Mediterranean civilizations across time, and was independently domesticated in both the Old and New World.
The Romans grew the annual Lupine (chiefly Lupinus Albus) as food for both animals and themselves, and also for green manuring. Roman actors in their plays and comedies also used the large seed as pieces of money. Dr. Fernie states, “the seeds were used at pieces of money by Roman actors in their plays and comedies, whence came the saying nummus lupinu’ — a spurious bit of money”.3
The yellow Lupine and the white Lupine are used as green manure crops in traditional agricultural systems in Morocco and Iberia, which indicates that the cultivation of these species may have ancient origins, It is suspected that Arab conquests spread the Lupine across northern Africa and into the Iberian Peninsula.
In their exploration of the New World, Spaniards noted that the Andean civilizations had Lupines “as we have in Spain.”4 Evidently the pearl Lupine has been cultivated for thousands of years in the Andean Highlands of South America. The seeds of Lupine were roasted or boiled and used as food in the Andes as they were in the Mediterranean, and the leafy parts of the plants were used as forage both in the Andes and in America.
Frederick the Great was responsible for introducing the Lupine into countries from Italy to northern Prussia. In most of these cultures, the Lupine was traditionally used either for grazing, or the bitter seed was soaked and then eaten by man or animal.
Bitter narrow-leafed Lupines were first introduced into Northern Europe around 1850 and quickly became the basis of the Saxony Merino Industry. A severe outbreak of Lupinosis in 1870 limited their use for grazing.
In 1917, shortly after WWI, the German Botanical Society held a “Lupine dinner” in Hamburg to generate interest in the crop.5 German Professor, Dr. Thorns, described the multifarious uses to which the Lupine might be put.
At a table covered with a tablecloth of Lupine fiber, Lupine soup was served; after the soup came Lupine beefsteak, roasted in Lupine oil and seasoned with Lupine extract, then bread containing 20 per cent of Lupine, Lupine margarine and cheese of Lupine albumen, and finally Lupine liqueur and Lupine coffee. Lupine soap served for washing the hands, while Lupine-fiber paper and envelopes with Lupine adhesive were available for writing.6
This sparked subsequent breeding efforts, resulting in “sweet” or low-alkaloid Lupine types developed in the 1920s, essentially creating a new crop from the old, bitter types. This represents one of the first applications of Mendelian genetics to crop plants.
The Lupines have had practical as well as ornamental uses. Nowadays are used for green manuring, for stockfeed, for human consumption, for forage, and for plowing-in to enrich the land.
Literary References
The crop is mentioned as common?lace by the poet Virgil (70 BC)7 who designated it “tristis Lupinus,” the sad Lupine according to Dr. Fernie ,and by Greek and Persian writers circa 1500 AD.

Medicine
According to John Parkinson many women, he says “doe use the meale of Lupines mingled with the fall of a goate and some juyce of Lemons to make into a forme of a soft ointment.”10
Culpepper said, “outwardly they are used against deformities of the skin, scabby ulcers, scald heads, and other cutaneous distempers.”
Pliny said, “No kind of fodder is more wholesome and light of digestion than the White Lupine, when eaten d7. If taken commonly at meals, it will contribute a fresh color and a cheerful countenance.”1
The ancients employed the Lupine medicinally. The bruised seeds of the White Lupine, after soaking in water, were sometimes used as an external application to ulcers, etc., and internally were said to be anathematic, diuretic and emmenagogue.
Poison
The seeds of some of the many species Lupines if eaten in a more or less mature condition are poisonous as forage, causing the disease Lupinosis to which sheep are especially susceptible. Poisonous species and their effects have not been fully determined. The poisonous properties of the Lupinus are very irregularly and unequally distributed. Poisoning accidents have occurred in Europe and in the United States.
Other
John Parkinson also noted that the burning of Lupine seeds drives away gnats.13
Culpepper said “the seeds, somewhat bitter in taste, opening and cleansing, good to destroy worms.”14

The Lupine is grown for fodder, and if not over fed, is found to be highly nutritive and wholesome.
In fact, the Lupine is one of the few grain legumes that come close to soybean in protein content
of the seed.
Recipe
Typical preparation:
Take Lupini Beans and soak overnight in water. Then drain and add fresh water and boil for one hour. Then drain off all water and add fresh water. Keep changing and adding fresh water till bitterness disappears.

Typical preparation:
Take Lupini Beans and soak overnight in water. Then drain and add fresh water and boil for one hour. Then drain off all water and add fresh water. Keep changing and adding fresh water till bitterness disappears.

Some of the many other types of Lupines:
L. Subcarnosus or Texensis — called the Blue Bonnet, the state flower of Texas, has spikes of light blue flowers with a white or yellow spot, the state flower of Texas
L. Arboreus — called the Yellow Tree Lupine, a shrubby, Californian tree, of the legume family, having hairy, finger-shaped leaflets and fragrant, sulfur-yellow flowers
L. Perennis — called the Virginian Lupine, from the eastern US, has tall, dense clusters of blue, pink, or white flowers
L. Luteus — called the Spanish Violet, yellow-flowered with a sweet scent, has a higher seed protein content than all other Lupines, and also has higher sulfur amino acids and lysine

Information Please: On-Line Dictionary, Internet hncyclopedia, Atlas Almanac www.infoplease.com
University of Alberta Devonian Botanic Garden
www.discoveredmonton.com/devonian/getgrol12.htrnl
Department of Primary Industries, Queensland, Australia
www.dpi.qld.gov.au/fieldcrops/9271 .html
Henriette’s Herbal Homepage
www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/eclectic/kings/lupinus.html
Grains Research and Development Corporation
www.grdc.com.au
Botanical.com: Modern Herbal, Herbal Products, and Historical Herbal Information www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/l/lupins50.html
NewCROP HornePage, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture Purdue University www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedingsl 9931v2-266.html

Notes:
1 As noted on Botanical.com: Modern Herbal, Herbal Products, and Historical Herbal
2 As noted on the University of Alberta Devonian Botanic Garden website
Quote from Dr. Fernie as noted on Botanical.corn: Modern Herbal, Herbal Products, and Historical
Herbal
As noted on Botanical.com and the NewCROP HomePage, Department of Horticulture and Landscape
Architecture Purdue University
noted on Botanical.com and the NewCROP HomePage, Department of Horticulture and Landscape
Architecture Purdue University
6 Quote from Dr. Thorns as noted on Botanical.com: Modern Herbal, Herbal Products, and Historical
Herbal
As noted on the NewCROP HomePage, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture Purdue
University
8 Quote from Dr. Fernie regarding Virgil as noted on Botanical.com: Modern Herbal, Herbal Products,
Historical Herbal
As noted on the NewCROP HomePage, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture Purdue
University
10 Quote from John Parkinson as noted on Botanical .com: Modern Herbal, Herbal Products, and Historical
Herbal
Quote from Culpepper as noted on Botanical.com: Modern Herbal, Herbal Products, and Historical
Herbal
12 Quote from Pliny as noted on Botanical.com: Modern Herbal, Herbal Products, and Historical Herbal
13 Quote from John Parkinson as noted on Botanical.com: Modern Herbal, Herbal Products, and Historical
Herbal
14 Quote from Culpepper as noted on Botanical.com: Modern Herbal, Herbal Products, and Historical
Herbal