Spider Lupine

Lupinus benthamii

Spider Lupine is a beautiful plant with bright blue flowers that look like little spiders! It grows in sunny places and is loved by bees and butterflies.

Hábitat: Grasslands

Aspecto

The Spider Lupine has tall, slender stems topped with dense spikes of vibrant violet-blue, pea-like flowers. Its distinctive leaves are palmately divided into 7-11 narrow, hairy leaflets, radiating like spokes from a central point.

ReinoPlantaeFiloTracheophytaClaseMagnoliopsidaOrdenFabalesFamiliaFabaceaeGéneroLupinus

Spider Lupine

Categoría

Plantas

Rareza

Common

Peligro

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Snaps

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Datos interesantes

Its common name "Lupine" means "wolf-like," but this plant actually helps enrich the soil!

Its leaves can fold up at night, performing a "sleeping" trick until the sun rises again!

Some ancient peoples learned to prepare its seeds, turning them into a food source!

The beautiful flowers are like special landing strips, guiding buzzing bees right to their nectar.

Habilidades especiales

Spider Lupine has tiny helpers in its roots that can "fix" nitrogen from the air, enriching the soil for other plants.

Spider Lupine can produce special bitter chemicals called alkaloids, which make it taste bad to hungry animals, protecting itself.

When its seed pods dry, they can explosively twist open, flinging seeds several feet away to find new homes.

Medidas y detalles

Altura: 20-60 cm
Extensión: 15-30 cm
Tamaño de la flor: 1-1.5 cm
Temporada de floración: Spring-early summer
Comestible: No
Toxicidad: Moderada
Ciclo de vida: Anual
Método de polinización: Insectos

Conexiones ecológicas

pollinates

Yellow-faced Bumblebee

Bombus vosnesenskii

Sips nectar, carrying pollen to other flowers.

symbiotic with

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Rhizobium leguminosarum

Lives in roots, helping create soil nutrients.

depends on

Lupine Blue butterfly

Plebejus lupini

Its caterpillars munch on the leaves to grow big.

eaten by

Mule Deer

Odocoileus hemionus

May browse leaves despite their bitter taste.

Rasgos

Herbácea

Las plantas herbáceas son plantas no leñosas con tallos blandos que típicamente mueren hasta el suelo al final de la temporada de crecimiento.

Fijador de nitrógeno

Describe a los organismos capaces de convertir el nitrógeno atmosférico en compuestos utilizables por las plantas.

Floración

Las plantas con flores son cualquier planta que produce flores como parte de su ciclo reproductivo.

Floración primaveral

Las plantas de floración primaveral producen sus flores durante la temporada de primavera, lo que a menudo significa el final del invierno y el comienzo de un nuevo crecimiento.