Popular types of lupines
In the Russian Federation, 3 types of annuals of the family are common:
- white lupine;
- narrow-leaved lupine (blue);
- yellow lupine.
These plants are grown in all regions of the country and have agricultural value. For gardeners, perennials (perennial and tree lupine) are of greater interest. Representatives of multileaf varieties have large rosettes, consisting of 9-10 lanceolate leaves, pubescent downward. They are distinguished by a varied color of flowers and long flowering.
For fans of the Harry Potter books, the name of the plant is associated with some of the heroes. Lupine and Tonks became participants in a romantic line that is directly related to the main events of the narrative. Plant an unpretentious plant in your garden, it will surely become an object of grateful and mutual love.
The snow-white lupine flowers are attractive and versatile. With its help, you can create a landscape composition in any style.
Blue lupine comes in many different shades.
Lupine yellow goes well with almost every other color.
Main types and varieties
The largest representation in different parts of our planet has about 200 main species. With regard to our country, it can be noted that the following four types are most represented here:
- yellow;
- White;
- narrow-leaved;
- multi-leaved.
Depending on the growing period, these plants can be divided into three main groups:
- annuals;
- biennial;
- perennial.
Moreover, lupins can differ in their size, on the basis of which it is customary to subdivide them into dwarf giant varieties. Also, depending on the form of growth, there are herbaceous species and shrubs.
Each of the listed species has its own characteristics, which will also be useful to learn more about:
- Yellow. An annual variety that produces yellow flowers during the growing season. Usually they are quite large and do not exceed 1 meter in size. This variety is not too cold hardy, unlike blue lupine. It belongs to the group of cross-pollinated plants. The place where the seeds are formed is located on the sides. The characteristic color of yellow lupine is pink speckled or white. The seed mass is 120-150 gr. per thousand.
- White. This variety can most often be found in European countries. It is a tall plant, growing up to 2 meters in height. For the first time, people got acquainted with this variety in Ancient Egypt and Greece. Then he was one of those plants that were used for food. The plant responds well to light, can tolerate long periods of drought, but it is very demanding on the soil. The seed mass is 250–500 gr. per thousand. The seeds themselves are rather large. The characteristic shade is white or white with pink.
- Narrow-leaved. The variety is distinguished by flowers of a blue tint, although there are species in which the inflorescences are white or purple. Refers to the group of self-pollinated annuals. It is a tall member of the family, growing in height up to 1.5 meters. A big plus of the plant is a high percentage of germination, which it demonstrates perfectly even in harsh conditions. The seeds of a narrow-leaved lupine, which have a marble pattern, look original. The seed mass is 180-200 gr. per thousand. During the first season after planting, a rosette of leaves is formed. On average, it grows no higher than 120 cm. It can grow on any soil. One gram of weight can contain up to 45 seeds. It was first cultivated in Alaska.
- Lulu "Russell" variety. This plant not only germinates very quickly, but also has a fairly compact shape.It is a low-growing plant, it grows up to 60 cm in height. A favorable moment for planting in open ground occurs already in April. Flowering time begins in 13 weeks. This annual plant can be grown well in the vicinity of perennials.
- Tree-like. It enters the flowering phase at the end of July, and sometimes in August. It belongs to the group of perennials, growing in height up to 1.5 meters. The characteristic color of the flowers is white or yellow.
- Lupine decorated. This plant is interesting for its delicate graceful appearance, it can grow up to 80 cm in height.
This is only a small part of the wide variety of varieties that are found on our planet. The species described above are represented on the territory of our country in the greatest number. On other continents, other varieties of lupine are more common. For example, in America, the popular are dwarf, hybrid, fickle and decorated.
Given the harsh conditions of our country, it is recommended to choose special varieties of lupine for cultivation that are resistant to severe frosts and drought.
About the plant
Lupine always stands out among other flowers and is associated with a summer cottage flower. However, it is underestimated in all respects. Lupine looks attractive in every garden, flowers are like thorns, and each individual flower has a butterfly structure, which adds decorativeness. Its tall shoots, decorated with colorful flowers, with dark green foliage, do not remain unnoticed.
Lupine (from the Latin word lupus, which means wolf) is a genus of annuals, biennials, as well as perennial rhizome plants, legumes. Lupine is an interesting light-loving and moisture-loving, frost-resistant plant. It is distinguished by large leaves that are always turned towards the sun. Lupine is not picky about soil fertility. The most valuable oil is obtained from this wonderful plant, which is a natural antioxidant. It is often used for cosmetic purposes.
For people with diseases of the cardiovascular system, such a useful oil is a kind of medicine. Lupine is rich in protein. In crop rotation, this excellent plant is considered an important source of biological nitrogen. Lupine seeds contain protein, which, in combination with green mass, can be used as feed for farm animals.
More common are herbaceous, less often shrubs. This plant species numbers from 200 to 1000 different specimens (according to data from various sources) and grows in a wide variety of corners of the earth, more often found in North America and the Mediterranean. Absolutely any garden soil is suitable for the plant (preferably slightly acidic or slightly alkaline). Lupine's leaves are palmate, on elongated petioles, collected in a neat basal rosette; stem - located in a clear regular order. Flowers are collected in racemose inflorescences: white, yellow, purple, blue, pink, cream, red, purple. A legume fruit can contain a different number of seeds (depending on their size), in 1 kg from 8 to 180.
Of the perennial species, the most common is Lupinus polyphyllus. This species is one of the most frost-resistant and unpretentious, therefore it is often found even in the taiga part of Russia. It grows on the sides of many roads (in the suburbs) and in forests. Included in the list of rare and protected plants.
Lupine multifoliate, introduced to Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. A perennial herb can reach a height of 80-120 cm. The stems are even, strong and practically naked. The leaves are palmate, with long petioles. The flowers are mostly white, blue, collected in multi-flowered inflorescences (30-35 cm). Bloom in June, almost all month. If you remove the fading inflorescences, it can bloom again in August. Seeds - beans of irregular shape up to 0.6 cm in diameter. Seed germination lasts up to 3-4 years. 1 kg can contain up to 45 seeds.
How to properly care for lupines
Watering. Watering is important for the normal growth and development of this crop, so this work must be done correctly. In hot dry weather, the volume of irrigation is increased, on cloudy days, it is reduced. It is best to water the flower as the soil dries.
Hilling and support. Due to the fact that in old specimens, the root collar rises several centimeters above the soil surface, the middle part of the bush gradually dies off, and the side rosettes are isolated. Therefore, to preserve decorativeness and prolong life, the plants are spud. Tall plants located in open wind-blown areas must be tied to a support.
Top dressing. In the second year, lupins are fed before flowering: for 10 liters of water, dilute 1 tbsp. spoon of potassium sulfate, superphosphate and "Intermag" for flowers and ornamental crops, spending 3 liters per bush. During the beginning of flowering, wood ash is poured in 2-3 tbsp. spoons under the bush.
Leaving after flowering. Gardeners engaged in the cultivation of this culture are interested in the question of how to care for lupines after flowering. After flowering, the peduncles must be removed, since secondary flowering is possible under favorable weather conditions. In the autumn, the bushes are spudded to close the bare root collar, sprinkle the soil around the plant with a layer of mulch.
If the gardener needs to collect the seeds of a given crop, this can also be done after flowering, since the beans will have formed on the plant by that time. When ripe, they crack, the seeds are scattered on the ground. In order not to lose the seeds, the gardener needs to tie in advance the beans that have not yet begun to crack with gauze, where they will remain when the fruits crack.
Wintering. When caring for lupine when growing it, it should be borne in mind that, despite the fact that this plant tolerates winter well, some work needs to be done to prepare it before the onset of the cold season.
When preparing lupine for the winter period, the faded buds are cut off, the yellowed dry leaves are removed. If the culture is grown in regions with frosty winters, it is covered with a layer of peat for the winter. All fallen leaves are removed under the bush in order to avoid the development of diseases and the invasion of possible pests.
Diseases and pests. Of the diseases, lupine affects powdery mildew in a rainy, cold summer, and sometimes this culture gets sick with a viral disease - mosaic. Such a plant should be destroyed along with the roots and a clod of earth. And against powdery mildew, you can use Fitsporin or do nothing at all. Usually powdery mildew appears after flowering, at the end of summer, and therefore you can simply cut the plant at the soil level, without leaving hemp. Usually, the leaves and stems are not harvested at all.
Varieties and varieties of lupine
Lupine is not just an ornamental plant. The seeds and the aerial part are widely used in the food industry. Ornamental products are made from plant stems; lupine straw is used in the pulp and paper industry. Lupine seeds are used in the production of medical plasters, cosmetics, medicines, for the production of soap and plastics.
Lupine is not only a beautiful but also a useful plant.
Fodder lupine is grown for livestock feed, fish farms feed fish with seeds. Lupine is a valuable green manure crop, one hectare of lupine is equivalent to the introduction of 20 tons of manure.
Lupins are very unpretentious plants that do not require complicated care, therefore they are widespread almost everywhere, although the homeland of this plant is North America. There are lupins annual, biennial, perennials and fodder, they are used in agriculture. Basically, for animal feed, annual species are used: white, multi-leaved and yellow lupine.
As garden species, the following annual lupins are grown:
hybrid;
Lupine hybrid
dwarf;
Lupine dwarf
changeable;
Lupine is fickle
Lupine Hartweg King.
Lupine Hartweg King
Perennial lupine is a perennial.It is the most frost-resistant and undemanding to care for, it is found even in the taiga.
Numerous hybrid varieties of lupines with inflorescences of various colors have been bred. Here is a list of the most popular varieties used in landscaping:
Schlossfrau - pink
Schlossfrau variety
Edelknabe - carmine;
Edelknabe variety
Burg Fraulen - white;
Burg Fraulen variety
Apricot - orange;
Variety Apricot
Carmineus - red;
Carmineus variety
Princess Julianne - white and pink;
Variety Princess Julianna
Roseus - pink
Roseus variety
Albus is white;
Albus variety
Rubinkönig - ruby with purple
Rubinkönig variety
Castellane - blue-violet with a white sail;
Castellane variety
Minaret - undersized varietal population with brightly colored inflorescences;
Minaret variety
Lulu is a mixture of different colors.
Lulu variety
Abroad, perennial tree lupine is popular, which does not hibernate in our latitudes, unfortunately.
Planting lupines
Young lupins do not tolerate transplanting well and for this culture it is desirable to carry out a complete transshipment while preserving an earthen coma around the rhizome. It is better to prepare sites for planting lupine seedlings in advance. They need sunny places, but lupins are undemanding to the soil (although they bloom most effectively on loams with a neutral or weak reaction).
The optimal distance for planting lupins is from 30 to 50 cm, depending on the height of the variety.
The only care that lupins grown through seedlings will need is neat protection in the first year of growing. Removing weeds before building up sufficient green mass, loosening the soil after precipitation and feeding the next year after planting with a half dose of full mineral fertilizers or potassium-phosphorus fertilizers (the plant provides itself with nitrogen) - that's all the measures. In the future, it is worth monitoring the pouring of soil to the bare root collar and regular rejuvenation with a frequency of once every 4-5 years.
The names of popular species and varieties of lupine (with photo)
In total, there are at least 200 species of lupine in the world, among which perennials are the most popular in Russia.
Lupine multifoliate (Lupinus Polyphyllus Lindl.)
In the United States, this species is called large-leaved lupine.
Found in the western and northwestern regions of North America. Grows on river banks, meadows and roadsides and other disturbed habitats. Naturalized in Russia and occurs in the taiga zone of the European part.
Anyone who grows this species on the site knows firsthand what a multi-leaved lupine flower looks like.
It is a short-lived perennial or biennial herb up to 1.5 m high. The leaves are palmate, on long petioles, with 9–15 narrow-lanceolate leaves. The stem and leaf petioles are covered with sparse, short hairs. The calyx and young leaves have silvery pubescence. The flowers are blue, less often pink and white, collected in multi-flowered apical erect inflorescences up to 35 cm long. The fruit is a pubescent bean. Seeds are oval, flattened, almost black.
Varieties of multifoliate lupine are distinguished by a rich color range, for this reason they can be seen quite often in flower beds.
Varieties of multifoliate lupine:
"Schloss Frau" - light pink flowers;
"Castellane" - blue or purple flowers;
"Albus" - a variety with snow-white inflorescences;
"Abendglut" - purple-red flowers;
"Burg Fraulen" - cream-colored inflorescences;
"Apricot" - bright orange flowers;
"Carmineus" - red flowers;
"Princess Juliana" - white and pink inflorescences
"Kronloichter" - rich yellow inflorescences;
"Roseus" - pink inflorescences.
Russell's hybrids, bred in England almost a hundred years ago, are still relevant. They are very different from ordinary lupins in their more beautiful and varied color, size of flowers and peduncles, long flowering. Mixtures of varieties are usually commercially available.
All the brightness and variety of varieties of multifoliate lupine are demonstrated in the photo selection below:
Lupine tree (lupinus arborescens).
Perennial plant up to 1.5 m in height with five-leafed leaves pubescent on the underside and yellow or white flowers, collected in thin straight inflorescences.
Perennial lupine (lupinus perennis) is a plant up to 60 cm high with dark pink flowers.
White lupine (lupinus albus).
Answering the question, what are the lupines, one cannot fail to mention the white annual, which is one of the most popular species.
It has such a powerful root system that it is able to strengthen a crawling sandy slope, it blooms for a long time and brightly. Reaches up to 2 m in height. The leaves are obovate, oblong, smooth above, slightly pubescent below. Inflorescences are long, reaching about 30 cm. In the upper part, the flowers are whorled, alternate below. The fruit is a pod, pubescent at first, becomes smooth as it ripens. The fruit contains 3 to 6 seeds. Seeds are square, smooth, white.
White lupine varieties:
"Noble Girl" is a favorite unpretentious, spectacularly blooming perennial. The leaves are very beautiful, the flowers are pure white, collected in inflorescences up to 35-40 cm long. Plant height - up to 100 cm. Very decorative in single and group plantings;
"Desnyanskiy" - up to 120 cm high. It has white seeds inside. Mainly used as a forage crop;
"Gamma" - grows up to 80 cm in height.
The description of the white lupine flower is supplemented with a photo, in which you can see what are the distinctive features of this species:
Lupine yellow (Lupinus luteus).
Annual about 1 m high. The leaf plates are finger-shaped. There is slight pubescence on their surface. The inflorescence is an ear of orange or bright yellow hue. The fruit is a flat bean with 5 seeds.
It adapts easily to sandy soil, and is also used for pet food due to the high protein content of the beans.
There are many other decorative types of lupins, as evidenced by the selection of photos below:
