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| NAS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species |
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Common Name: Lupine
Synonyms and Other Names: bigleaf lupine, marsh lupine, Washington lupine; Garden lupine; Altramuz perenne
Taxonomy: available through 
Identification:
General (Klinkenberg 2007): Perennial herb from a branched, somewhat rhizomatous stem-base; stems erect, up to 1.5 m tall, generally unbranched, cylindric-hollow at the base, usually nearly glabrous but sometimes soft- or stiff-hairy.
Leaves (Klinkenberg 2007): Basal (a few) and alternate along the stem, palmately compound, the stalks of the basal leaves often much longer than those of the stem leaves; leaflets 9 to 17, elliptic-oblanceolate, pointed at the tip, 3-12 cm long, glabrous above, sparsely stiff-hairy below.
Flowers (Klinkenberg 2007): Inflorescence a dense, stalked, terminal raceme, up to 40 cm long, of whorled or somewhat scattered, pea-like flowers; corollas bluish to violet, glabrous, 11-16 mm long, the banner nearly circular and slightly shorter than the wings; calyces about equally 2-lipped, both lips entire or minutely toothed.
Fruits (Klinkenberg 2007): Pods, curved, densely long-soft-hairy, 3-5 cm long; seeds 6 to 10, greyish with dark mottling. perennial legume with flower colour varying from purple to yellow and red. Preferred habitats include areas with low fertility, rocky, sandy or loose textured soils and medium to high rainfall. The plant's large seeds give it a distinct advantage for establishment in low fertility soils.
Size: to 1.5 m tall
Native Range:
Western parts of North America with an oceanic climate: Canada (British Columbia), United States (Alaska, west Oregon, west Washington, north California) (Fremstad 2006).
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Interactive maps: Continental US, Alaska, Hawaii, Caribbean
Nonindigenous Occurrences:
introduced into the eastern parts of North America and naturalized in many countries in Europe. It is recorded in the following states in United States: AK, CA, CT, ID, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MT, NH, NV, NY, OR, VT, WA, WI.
1st Great Lakes record 1982 Lake Superior
Ecology: L. polyphyllus grows on shores, in meadows and roadsides and other disturbed habitats. Its habitats are also characterized as ‘shady, moderately dry, well-drained, sandy-loam soil (Fremstad 2006).
Means of Introduction: L. polyphyllus has been introduced intentionally, initially and primarily as an ornamental (garden) plant. Later, it has been introduced and bred also for other purposes but especially for soil improvement and stabilisation and as fodder for domestic animals and wildlife (Fremstad 2006).
L. polyphyllus grows in symbiosis with a nitrogen-fixing bacterium, Bradyrhizobium sp., which causes growth of root nodules. The bacterium acquires molecular nitrogen from the atmosphere. Soils where L. polyphyllus grows are enriched with nitrogen, which may be used by other plants as well. This ability to increase soil fertility is the main reason for the diverse and widespread use of the plant. It has also been planted as a “green manure” (intercrop) on cultivated fields and as a game fodder. It was used in fire-protection belts in forests. The species is also used for breeding hybrids with other lupins (Fremstad 2006).
Status: introduced-naturalized
Impact of Introduction:
The effect on indigenous plants is most obvious where L. polyphyllus occurs in extensive, rather dense stands which suppress native species. It can outcompete native species occurring in road verges, ruderal areas, gravelly floodplains and other open habitats. Eutrophication of nutrient-poor sites and consequent changes in community structure and diversity is the main problem when L. polyphyllus invades an area (Fremstad 2006).
L. polyphyllus is an important agricultural plant with a wide variety of cultivars differing in chemical characters, growth potential, use etc. Hay from fields with an intermixture of L. polyphyllus may be less valuable due to the alkaloid content of the plant, and the fields may become more difficult to harvest (Fremstad 2006).
Remarks: L. polyphyllus may be confused with the Russel Lupin Lupinus x regalis (L. arboreus x L. polyphyllus) which usually has slightly branched stems, one or several rather dense racemes with flowers in blue, purple, pink, white, yellowish and shades of orange. This taxon is a garden hybrid (or hybrid complex).
References
Fremstad, E. 2006. NOBANIS – Invasive Alien Species Fact Sheet – Lupinus polyphyllus. – From: Online Database of the North European and Baltic Network on Invasive Alien Species – NOBANIS www.nobanis.org, Date of access 08/18/2008.
Global Invasive Species Database. 2008. http://www.issg.org/database
Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2007. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [www.eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 8/19/2008 10:11:16 AM]
Preston, C.D., Pearman, D.A. and Dines, T.D. (eds) 2002. New atlas of the British and Irish flora. – Oxford University Press, Oxford. 910 pp.
Other Resources:
USDA/NRCS PLANTS Database
GLIFWC-Maps
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_Lupin
Author: Ling Cao
Contributing Agencies: 
NOAA - GLERL
Revision Date: 9/2/2008 Citation for this information:
Ling Cao. 2009. Lupinus polyphyllus. USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL.
<http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=2715> Revision Date: 9/2/2008
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