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Introduction
Tree lupine, or yellow bush lupine, is found in North America along the north and central Pacific coast, often in coastal bluffs and dunes, but has naturalized further north (Riggins and Sholars 1993). It is an introduced and invasive species in British Columbia, and has naturalized in coastal areas of the southwestern part of the province. On the mainland, it has been reported from Powell River, Delta and New Westminster (Annacis Island and Lulu Island). On Vancouver Island, it has been reported from Tofino, the Wickaninnish dunes, Sooke, and Swartz Bay. It is particularly abundant in the Sooke area where it occurs interspersed with Scotch broom. While lupines can be difficult to identify, this species is easy to recognize. It can reach heights of six or seven feet, and is the only shrub species of lupine found in BC. It has distinctive yellow (sometimes grading to blue) flowers (Riggins and Sholars 1993). It is an aromatic, sweet-smelling plant that readily attracts pollinators.
Species Information
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expanded illustration for this species.
General: Short-lived, somewhat shrubby perennial from a woody stem-base and deep heavy root; stems erect, 1-1.5 (2) m tall, much-branched with numerous leafy, short branches in the axils of the main leaves, short-hairy to silky-hairy.
Leaves: Alternate, palmately compound with 5 to 11 leaflets; leaflets oblanceolate, 3-6 cm long, 4-7 mm wide, short-hairy to silky on the lower surface.
Flowers: Inflorescence a terminal, stalked raceme of pea-like, more or less whorled flowers; corollas yellow or white to sometimes bluish, 14-20 mm long on stalks 4-9 mm long, the banner glabrous and bent backwards at the midpoint, the wings glabrous, the keel fringed with hairs along the upper edges; calyces silky-hairy, the upper lip 2-toothed, the lower lip entire and boat-shaped.
Fruits: Pods, 4-6 cm long, about 1 cm wide, long-soft-hairy; seeds 8 to 12, dark brown, 5 mm long.
Dry to mesic bluffs, sandy beaches, eroding banks and other disturbed sites; rare on SE Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and adjacent mainland; introduced from CA.
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range. (Updated August, 2013)
Rhonda Riggins and Teresa Sholars. 1993. Lupinus arboreus treatment. In: Hickman, James C. The Jepson Manual of the Higher Plants of California. University of California Press, Los Angeles.
