Lupinus sericeus
Encyclopedia
Lupinus sericeus is a species of flowering plant in the legume family
known by the common name silky lupine, or Pursh's silky lupine. It is native to western North America from British Columbia
to Arizona
and east to Alberta
and Colorado
.
This perennial herb produces erect stems from a woody caudex
and deep root system. The stems reach up to 50 centimetres (19.7 in) tall and may branch or not. They are coated in silvery or reddish hairs. The leaves have up to 9 lance-shaped leaflets each up to 6 centimetres (2.4 in) in length. They are coated in silky hairs. The inflorescence
is a raceme
of many flowers, usually in shades of purple or blue, but sometimes white or yellowish. The back side of the banner petal is hairy. The fruit is a hairy legume pod up to 3 cm (1.2 in) long containing up to 7 seeds.
This plant grows in many types of habitat, including forests, woodlands, chaparral
, shrubsteppe, sagebrush, and grassland
s. It often grows on dry, rocky slopes, and does best in open sites without shade. It can be found at low and high elevation
s, up to 3000 m (9,842.5 ft) or more. It can often be found in recently burned
sites. Plants associated with it include Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii), common snowberry
(Symphoricarpos albus), ninebark (Physocarpus malvaceus), serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.), mountain-mahogany (Cercocarpus spp.), arrowleaf balsamroot
(Balsamorhiza sagittata), western yarrow (Achillea millefolium), heartleaf arnica
(Arnica cordifolia), bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata), Sandberg bluegrass
(Poa secunda), fescues (Festuca idahoensis and F. scabrella), prairie junegrass (Koeleria cristata), and sedges
(Carex spp.).
Like many other lupin
es, this species is very toxic to sheep, and less so to cattle and horses. It causes deformities in a calf if the plant is eaten by the pregnant mother cow during a certain gestation
period. Its toxicity is caused by a concentration of quinolizidine
alkaloid
s. It does not appear to be toxic to wild animals such as white-tailed deer
, which often consume it. Bighorn sheep
feed on it in Montana and Columbia ground squirrels feed on the leaves and flowers. Many other small mammals and birds also eat parts of it.
Fabaceae
The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species...
known by the common name silky lupine, or Pursh's silky lupine. It is native to western North America from British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
to Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
and east to Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
and Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
.
This perennial herb produces erect stems from a woody caudex
Caudex
A caudex is a form of stem morphology appearing as a thickened, short, perennial stem that is either underground or near ground level . It may be swollen for the purpose of water storage, especially in xerophytes...
and deep root system. The stems reach up to 50 centimetres (19.7 in) tall and may branch or not. They are coated in silvery or reddish hairs. The leaves have up to 9 lance-shaped leaflets each up to 6 centimetres (2.4 in) in length. They are coated in silky hairs. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
of many flowers, usually in shades of purple or blue, but sometimes white or yellowish. The back side of the banner petal is hairy. The fruit is a hairy legume pod up to 3 cm (1.2 in) long containing up to 7 seeds.
This plant grows in many types of habitat, including forests, woodlands, chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
, shrubsteppe, sagebrush, and grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
s. It often grows on dry, rocky slopes, and does best in open sites without shade. It can be found at low and high elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
s, up to 3000 m (9,842.5 ft) or more. It can often be found in recently burned
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
sites. Plants associated with it include Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii), common snowberry
Symphoricarpos albus
Symphoricarpos albus is a species of flowering plant in the honeysuckle family known by the common name common snowberry. It is native to North America, where it occurs across much of Canada and the northern United States. It grows in shady and moist mountain and forest habitat, in woodlands and on...
(Symphoricarpos albus), ninebark (Physocarpus malvaceus), serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.), mountain-mahogany (Cercocarpus spp.), arrowleaf balsamroot
Balsamorhiza sagittata
Balsamorhiza sagittata is a species of flowering plant in the sunflower tribe of the plant family Asteraceae known by the common name arrowleaf balsamroot. It is native to much of western North America from British Columbia to California to the Dakotas, where it grows in many types of habitat from...
(Balsamorhiza sagittata), western yarrow (Achillea millefolium), heartleaf arnica
Arnica cordifolia
Arnica cordifolia is a species of arnica known by the common name heartleaf arnica. It is native to western North America from Alaska to California to New Mexico, and it is distributed as far east as Ontario and Michigan...
(Arnica cordifolia), bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata), Sandberg bluegrass
Poa secunda
Poa secunda is a widespread species of grass native to North America. It is highly resistant to drought conditions, and provides excellent fodder.-External links:**...
(Poa secunda), fescues (Festuca idahoensis and F. scabrella), prairie junegrass (Koeleria cristata), and sedges
Carex
Carex is a genus of plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges. Other members of the Cyperaceae family are also called sedges, however those of genus Carex may be called "true" sedges, and it is the most species-rich genus in the family. The study of Carex is known as...
(Carex spp.).
Like many other lupin
Lupin
Lupinus, commonly known as Lupins or lupines , is a genus in the legume family . The genus comprises about 280 species , with major centers of diversity in South and western North America , and the Andes and secondary centers in the Mediterranean region and Africa Lupinus, commonly known as Lupins...
es, this species is very toxic to sheep, and less so to cattle and horses. It causes deformities in a calf if the plant is eaten by the pregnant mother cow during a certain gestation
Gestation
Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals during pregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....
period. Its toxicity is caused by a concentration of quinolizidine
Quinolizidine
Quinolizidine is a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compound. Some alkaloids are derivatives of quinolizidine....
alkaloid
Alkaloid
Alkaloids are a group of naturally occurring chemical compounds that contain mostly basic nitrogen atoms. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Also some synthetic compounds of similar structure are attributed to alkaloids...
s. It does not appear to be toxic to wild animals such as white-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
, which often consume it. Bighorn sheep
Bighorn Sheep
The bighorn sheep is a species of sheep in North America named for its large horns. These horns can weigh up to , while the sheep themselves weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates that there are three distinct subspecies of Ovis canadensis, one of which is endangered: Ovis canadensis sierrae...
feed on it in Montana and Columbia ground squirrels feed on the leaves and flowers. Many other small mammals and birds also eat parts of it.