Spider Lupine
ExplorePlants
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.
Habitat: Grasslands
Appearance
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.
KingdomPlantaePhylumTracheophytaClassMagnoliopsidaOrderFabalesFamilyFabaceaeGenusLupinus
Category
PlantsRarity
Common
Danger
1/5 · Very low
Snaps
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Interesting facts
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.
Special abilities
Ability
Nitrogen Ninja
Spider Lupine has tiny helpers in its roots that can "fix" nitrogen from the air, enriching the soil for other plants.
Ability
Bitter Bite
Spider Lupine can produce special bitter chemicals called alkaloids, which make it taste bad to hungry animals, protecting itself.
Ability
Seed Sprinter
When its seed pods dry, they can explosively twist open, flinging seeds several feet away to find new homes.
Measurements & details
- Height
- 20-60 cm
- Spread
- 15-30 cm
- Flower Size
- 1-1.5 cm
- Bloom Season
- Spring-early summer
- Edible
- No
- Toxicity
- Moderate
- Lifecycle
- Annual
- Pollination Method
- Insect
Ecological connections
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.
Traits
Herbaceous
Herbaceous plants are non-woody plants with soft stems that typically die back to the ground at the end of the growing season.
Flowering
Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
Nitrogen Fixing
Describes organisms capable of converting atmospheric nitrogen into compounds usable by plants.
Spring Blooming
Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth.
Colorful
Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
Grassland
Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals.
Pollinator Magnet
Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.
Also known as
No aliases listed yet.
Collections
Safety
Danger
1/5 · Very low
Always look but don't touch plants without asking an adult first.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall is Spider Lupine?
20-60 cm
How wide does Spider Lupine spread?
15-30 cm
How big are the flowers on Spider Lupine?
1-1.5 cm
When does Spider Lupine bloom?
Spring-early summer
Is Spider Lupine edible?
No
Is Spider Lupine toxic?
Moderate
What is Spider Lupine's lifecycle?
Annual
How is Spider Lupine pollinated?
Insect
Snap Map
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