Lupinus (leucophyllus)

Dave Skinner PMC Farm Manager USDA NRCS - Pullman Plant Materials Center Room 211A Hulbert Hall WSU Pullman, Washington 99164-6211 509-335-9689 509-335-2940 (fax) abbie@wsu.edu http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/wapmc

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Family Scientific Name:	Fabaceae
Family Common Name:	Legume
Scientific Name:	Lupinus leucophyllus Dougl. ex Lindl.
Common Name:	Velvet lupine, Wooly-leaf lupine
Species Code:	LULE3
Ecotype:	Paradise Creek drainage near Pullman, WA
General Distribution:	Western North America east of the Cascade Mountains in southern British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon, extending into Idaho, Montana, California, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. In eastern Washington it is common in shrub-steppe, meadow-steppe, and open ponderosa pine forests.
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	10 cu. in.
Time To Grow:	4 Months
Target Specifications:	Tight root plug in container.
Propagule Collection:	Seeds are collected when the pods begin to split in July and August. Pods can be collected individually for maximum seed yield or the entire stalk may be cut. Cutting entire stalks results in collection of much immature seed. Ripening is indeterminant and the pods shatter readily when ripe. Seed collection must be done frequently. Use of Spodnam, an abscission layer inhibitor, did not appreciably reduce shattering. Seed is stored in paper bags or envelopes at room temperature until cleaned. There is a wide variation in size, shape, and color of the seed.
Propagule Processing:	Small amounts are crushed by hand to free the seed, then cleaned with an air column separator. Larger amounts can be cleaned with air screen equipment. 70-80% of the seed will shatter free of the pods, and 20-30% can be recovered by hammermilling before cleaning. Use of a hammermill on the shattered portion increases seed damage and is not necessary. Clean seed is stored in controlled conditions at 40 degrees Fahrenheit and 40% relative humidity.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	The seed coat restricts water uptake and germination is increased by scarification. Seed of L. polyphyllus benefits from hot water scarification (Kruckeberg 1996). Some other lupine species require acid or hot water scarification while some germinate without pretreatment (Young & Young 1986). Fresh seed of L. sericeus germinates without pretreatment but stored seed should be hot water scarified (Mirov & Kraebel 1939). L. argenteus seed should be scarified (McDonough 1969). Romme et al (1995) found, however, that scarification increased the speed of germination but not total germination for L. argenteus. The seed is brittle and easily damaged by mechanical scarifiers. Even short times in a mechanical scarifier resulted in 77% of the seed being broken or the seed coat entirely removed. Filling the scarifier to capacity may reduce damage. Rubbing the seed by hand between two pieces of sandpaper is effective but it is difficult to control the amount of scarification. Hot water scarification is the most effective method. Water is boiled, then removed from the heat source and seed immediately placed in the hot water. It is allowed to cool for several hours, then planted. Results of trials at the Pullman Plant Materials Center showed 77% emergence by this method, compared to 45% emergence from unscarified seed and 45% emergence from seed stratified for 30 days outdoors during the winter.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Seed should be inoculated with the proper Rhizobium species prior to planting. In January scarified seed is sown in the greenhouse in 10 cu. in. Ray Leach Super cell conetainers filled with Sunshine #4 and covered lightly. Head space of ¬ to « inch is maintained in conetainers to allow deep watering. A thin layer of coarse grit is applied to prevent seeds from floating during watering. Conetainers are watered deeply.
Establishment Phase:	Medium is kept moist until emergence occurs. Emergence usually begins in 5-6 days and continues over a period of 3-4 weeks.
Length of Establishment Phase:	4 weeks
Active Growth Phase:	Plants are watered deeply every other day and fertilized once per week with a complete, water soluble fertilizer containing micro-nutrients.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	2.5-3 months
Hardening Phase:	Plants are moved to the cold frame in late March or early April, depending on weather conditions. They are watered every other day if the weather is cool, and every day during hot, dry spells.
Length of Hardening Phase:	2-4 weeks
Other Comments:	Flowering and some seed production will occur the year of transplanting and abundant seed is produced the year following transplanting. The plants are short-lived but vigorously reseed themselves. Seed is subject to insect predation and rodents will burrow into and eat the crowns, killing the plants. Some lupines can also be propagated from stem cuttings in a frame with bottom heat (Mirov & Kraebel 1939). Seed of L. sericeus maintains high germination after storage of up to 15 years in an unheated warehouse (Stevens et al 1981). Lupines contain poisonous alkaloids in varying amounts depending on species, plant part, maturity, and possibly ecotype. Seeds and fruits have the highest concentrations. L. leucophyllus is one of the more toxic species.
References:	Hitchcock, C. Leo, and Arthur Cronquist. 1973. Flora of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Seattle, WA. 730 pp. Kruckeberg, Arthur R. 1996. Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest. 2nd ed. University of Washington Press. Seattle, WA. 282 pp. Larrison, Earl J., Grace W. Patrick, William H. Baker, and James A. Yaich. 1974. Washington Wildflowers. The Seattle Audubon Society. Seattle, WA. 376 pp. McDonough, Walter T. 1969. Effective Treatments for the Induction of Germination in Mountain Rangeland Species. Northwest Science 43:18-22. Mirov, N.T., and C.J. Kraebel. 1939. Collecting and Handling Seeds of Wild Plants. Civilian Conservation Corps Forestry publ. No.5. US Government Printing Office. Washington, DC. Piper, C.V., and R.K. Beattie. 1914. The Flora of Southeastern Washington and Adjacent Idaho. Lancaster, PA. Press of the New Era Printing Company. 296 p. Rickett, Harold W. 1973. Wildflowers of the United States: The Central Mountains and Plains. Vol. 6. (3 parts). McGraw Hill, New York. Romme, William H., Laura Bohland, Cynthia Perischetty, and Tanya Caruso. 1995. Germination Ecology of Some Common Forest Herbs in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA. Arctic and Alpine Research 27:407-412. St. John, Harold. 1963. Flora of Southeastern Washington and of Adjacent Idaho. 3rd edition. Outdoor Pictures. Escondido, CA. 583 pp. Stevens, Richard, Kent R. Jorgensen, and James N. Davis. 1981. Viability of Seed From Thirty-two Shrub and Forb Species Through Fifteen Years of Warehouse Storage. Great Basin Naturalist 41:274-277. USDA ARS National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL: http://www.ars-grin.gov2/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?448068 (21 March 2007). USDA NRCS. 2007. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 21 March 2007). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA. Young, James A. and Cheryl G. Young. 1986. Collecting, Processing and Germinating Seeds of Wildland Plants. Timber Press. Portland, OR. 236 pp.

Citation:

Skinner, David M,. 2007. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Lupinus leucophyllus Dougl. ex Lindl. plants 10 cu. in.; USDA NRCS - Pullman Plant Materials Center Pullman, Washington. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/07/02). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.