Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl., Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: bigleaf lupine, garden lupin, large-leaf lupin, marsh lupine, Russell lupin, Washington lupin

French: lupin des jardins, lupin pérenne, lupin polyphylle, lupin vivace

Spanish: altramuz perenne

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Herbaceous perennial; stems sparsely to moderately hairy, erect, branched from base. Leaflets 8-15, usually ± glabrous above, sparsely to moderately sericeous below, narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate, acute to acuminate, 30-130 x (5)-10-30 mm; stipules oblong-lanceolate, 15-35 mm long. Inflorescence 15-60 cm long, many-flowered; peduncle up to 15 cm long. Lower flowers alternate; upper flowers subverticillate; pedicels 5-14 mm long. Calyx densely hairy; upper lip shallowly 2-toothed; lower lip slightly longer, entire. Corolla blue, purple, orange, yellow, pink or white, often of 2 colours, not or slightly scented, 12-20 mm long. Pod densely villous, 5-10-seeded, 30-50 mm long; seeds ellipsoid, smooth, dark brown and somewhat mottled, c. 2 mm long"  (Webb et al., 1988; p. 661).

Habitat/ecology:  "Grassland, forest edges, heath- and woodland.  A large herb forming dense patches that can rapidly expand and crowd out almost all other species.  In Europe, extensive stands degrade species rich dry grasslands.  The tall size of the plant makes it highly competitive to native grasses and forbs.  The plant is nitrogen-fixing and increases soil fertility levels, which may change the floristic composition of the invaded vegetation"  (Weber, 2003; p. 249).

In New Zealand, "riverbeds and waste places, established locally in lowland areas, but widespread in streams, riverbeds and other disturbed montane to subalpine areas"  (Webb et al., 1988; p. 661).

Propagation:  "It is a prolific seed producer and spreads by both seeds and rhizomes"  (Weber, 2003; p. 249).

Native range:  Western North America (Webb et al., 1988; p. 661).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive cultivated	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	New South Wales	introduced invasive cultivated	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2011) "Cultivated, naturalized in the Snowy Mountains area, sometimes very common".
Canada Province of British Columbia	Canada (British Columbia)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Canada Canada	Canada (country)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011) Alberta
Chile (continental) Chile	Chile (Republic of)	uncertain if introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Japan Japan	Japan (country)	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 184)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 661)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Oregon)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Washington)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011) Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Wyoming

Control: 

Physical:  "Seedlings and small plants may be pulled or dug out.  If larger plants are dug out, rhizomes must be removed to prevent regrowth.  Cutting prevents seed formation".

Chemical:  "Regrowth can be treated with herbicide"  (Weber, 2003; p. 249).

Additional information:
Information from the Global Invasive Species Database.
Fact sheet from the Alaska Natural Heritage Program (PDF format).
Fact sheet from the North European and Baltic Network on Invasive Alien Species (PDF format).
Fact sheet from the U.S. Geological Survey.

Additional online information about Lupinus polyphyllus is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Lupinus polyphyllus as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Lupinus polyphyllus may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John. 2011. Naturalized species in the Juan Fernández Archipelago, Chile. Unpublished spreadsheet.

ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre. 2011. International Legume Database & Information Service. Online searchable database.

Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro. 2004. Invasive alien species in Japan: the status quo and the new regulation for prevention of their adverse effects. Global Environmental Research 8(2)/2004: 171-191.

National Herbarium of New South Wales. 2011. PlantNet: New South Wales Flora online. The Plant Information Network System of the Botanic Gardens Trust Version 2.0. Online resource.

U. S. Government. 2011. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. 1988. Flora of New Zealand, Volume IV: Naturalised pteridophytes, gymnosperms, dicotyledons. Botany Division, DSIR, Christchurch. 1365 pp.

Weber, Ewald. 2003. Invasive plants of the World. CABI Publishing, CAB International, Wallingford, UK. 548 pp.