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| ## sundial {#sundial .Title-Header}                                   |
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| *Lupinus perennis* L.                                                 |
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| Plant Symbol = LUPE3                                                  |
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Contributed by: USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center

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## Alternate Names

wild lupine, lupine

## Uses

*Ethnobotanic:* The Menomini fed this plant to horses to make them
spirited and full of fire. They also rubbed the plant on their own hands
or other parts of the body in order to control horses. The Cherokee made
a cold infusion from the plant and used it as a wash to check hemorrhage
and vomiting.

*Wildlife:* Sundial is the only food for the larvae of the Karner Blue
butterfly *(Lycaeides melissa samuelis).* Both fire suppression and
habitat loss have contributed to the decline of the lupine and the
butterfly. The Karner Blue is nearly extinct over much of its range.

## 

## Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's

current status, such as, state noxious status, and wetland indicator
values.

## Description

*General:* Bean Family (Fabaceae). This herbaceous perennial has erect
stems that are 2-6 dm, that are thinly pubescent. The petioles are 2-6
cm. The leaves are palmately compound. The leaflets are 7-11,
oblanceolate, and are from 2-6 cm. The flowers occur in terminal
racemes, arising above the leaves. They are numerous, ranging from blue
to pink or white. The fruits are pubescent pods that are oblong,
flattened, and with 2-several seeds. They are 3-5
cm.![](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.6958333333333333in"
height="3.4763888888888888in"}

## Distribution

For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this
species on the PLANTS Web site. This plant is found in dry, open woods
and clearings from southern Maine to Florida, west to Minnesota and
Indiana. The plant grows in Pine Barrens and sandy prairies in the east.

## Establishment

*Propagation by seeds:* This lupine grows in areas that have been
burned. Scarify the seed coat of each seed with sandpaper to make a
gentle scratch. The seeds can then be soaked overnight in tepid water.
Treat the seeds with a rhizobium inoculant before sowing them. Plant the
seeds into cells or flats in a greenhouse and cover them with a quarter
inch of soil over the top. Lupines succumb to root rot very easily in
pots, so it is best to transplant them to the garden when they have two
to three leaves. Seeds can also be cleaned and stored dry at 40° F for
several months and then planted directly in the garden in the following
spring (after scarification). Seed can be sown with a yard roller or by
walking the site. Plant in full sun with good air circulation, in loose,
well-drained soil. The plants can tolerate poor, sandy, or gravely soil,
preferably acid. If no lupines have been present for many years on the
site, wet the seeds and roll them in an inoculant for nitrogen-fixing
bacteria before planting. They should germinate in about one week. The
roots are strong and deep, making the moving of older established plants
difficult.

## Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

LUPE3 is available through native plant nurseries within its range.
Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil
Conservation Service) office for more information. Look in the phone
book under "United States Government." The Natural Resources
Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading "Department of
Agriculture."

## References

Banks, W.H. 1953. *Ethnobotany of the Cherokee Indians.* Masters Thesis.
University of Tennessee.

Cullina, W. 2000. *The New England Wild Flower Society guide to growing
and propagating wildflowers of the United States and Canada.* Houghton
Mifflin Co., New York, New York.

Hamel, P.B. & M.U. Chiltoskey 1975. *Cherokee plants and their uses\--a
400 year history.* Herald Publishing, Sylva, North Carolina.

Gleason, H.A. & A. Cronquist 1991. *Manual of vascular plants of
northeastern United States and adjacent Canada.* Second Edition. The New
York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York.

Moerman, D.E. 1998. *Native American ethnobotany.* Timber Press,
Portland, Oregon.

Smith, H.H. 1923. *Ethnobotany of the Menomini*. Version: 000503.
\<http://plants.usda.gov\>. National Milwaukee 4:1(8-175).

USDA, NRCS 2006. *The PLANTS database.* \<plants.usda.gov\>. National
Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

## Prepared By & Species Coordinator

*M. Kat Anderson*

USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center

c/o Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis,
California

Edited 17jan01 jsp; 21may03 ahv; 060802 jsp

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

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orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases
apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require
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large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA\'s [TARGET
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*To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of
Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence
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*Read about [Civil Rights at the Natural Resources Convervation
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