Lupinus polyphyllus var. polyphyllus
Blue-pod lupine, garden lupine, largeleaf lupine, large-leaved lupine, lupin, marsh lupine
Bigleaf lupine, also called garden lupine—Lupinus polyphyllus—is native to western North America from southern Alaska and British Columbia, and south to Utah and California. The variety described here, L. polyphyllus var. polyphyllus or blue-pod lupine, is native to the west coast. It was introduced in eastern Canada and adjacent United States, Europe, New Zealand, Australia.
Plants: 1½–4′ (55–120 cm) tall, with the caudex entirely below the ground. The stem is hollow at the base.
Leaves: Alternate and palmately compound, like spokes of a wheel. Each compound leaf has 9-18 leaflets (other lupines typically have fewer than 10 leaflets). Basal leaves have petioles 4–12″ (10–30 cm) long. Leaflets are 3½–7 ⨉ ⅛–¾″ (9–17 cm ⨉ 6–20 mm), and oblanceolate to elliptic.
Flowers: Racemes packed with attractive deep blue to pink flowers form spikes 2–16″ (6–40 cm) long. Each flower (corolla) is hairless, and ⅜–⅝″ (1.1–1.6 cm) long. Flowers appear from May to August.
Fruits: Pods are hairy, and curved a bit, like pea pods. Each pod is ⅞–1¾″ (2.5–5 cm) long, containing five to ten seeds.
Habitats: Moist areas, disturbed areas, and floodplains, at elevations less than 1.9 mi (3 km).
Online References:
The USDA Plants Database Lupinus polyphyllus
6/13/2025 · River Point Conservation Area, Falmouth, Maine 
7/26/2025 · River Point Conservation Area, Falmouth, Maine · ≈ 8 × 11″ (19 × 28 cm) 
6/13/2025 · River Point Conservation Area, Falmouth, Maine 
6/13/2025 · River Point Conservation Area, Falmouth, Maine 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Rosidae | Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more |
| Order | Fabales | Legumes (pea and bean families) |
| Family | Fabaceae | Legume family (peas and beans) |
| Genus | Lupinus | “Wolf,” because of the mistaken belief that lupines ravage land they grow on; in fact, they contribute nutrients |
| Species | polyphyllus | Many-leaved |
| var. | polyphyllus | Many-leaved |
Lupinus polyphyllus var. polyphyllus description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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