Lupine, Silky

Lupinus sericeus

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Lovely native flower and superb food source for hummingbirds and bees.

This quintessential Great Basin native has unique palm-like leaflets with noticeable hairs, as well as racemes of pretty purple flowers. Blooms in June or July depending on elevation, with plants at the highest elevations blooming latest. Though all parts of the plants are toxic to humans and animals, it fixes nitrogen and feeds surrounding plants with its deep taproot. It can take 3-5 years to become established and flower, but the beautiful leaves are worth the wait! Grows to about 2' tall x 1' wide. Best to sow in fall for seeds to break dormancy.

Disclaimer: Lupines contain alkaloids that are known to be toxic to humans and animals. Though toxicity has been predominantly noted in livestock, the danger of poisoning in dogs is a possibility. Source

Seeds were sustainably wildcrafted in the Great Basin by Kyle and friends at Native-Seed Company.

30 seeds.

Directions: This western native’s beauty belies its tough character. Silky lupine seeds evolved with a tough seed coat to keep the plant embryo protected until ideal germination conditions occur. We humans can help jump-start the process by scarifying the seed. The easiest way to scarify silky lupine seeds is to boil water, remove the boiling water from the heat source, and immediately place the seeds in the hot water for 10 seconds. Then transfer the seeds to cold water to cool overnight. After scarification, the seeds need a 30-day period of cold, moist conditions. You may either plant them outside in late fall, to undergo natural cold treatment, or start them inside. To start indoors, wrap the scarified seeds in a moist (but not sopping wet) coffee filter or paper towel, place in a plastic sandwich bag, then place in a clean glass jar. Store the jar with seeds in the refrigerator for 30 days. If you want to broadcast the seed (rather than sowing individually), mix the seeds with moist sand in a plastic bag. Put the bag in a clean jar and the place in the refrigerator for 30 days. Then plant the cold-stratified seed.

"Lupinus sericeus" by Tab Tannery is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0