{{Short description|Species of legume}} {{Speciesbox |image = Lupinus nootkatensis - Iceland 20070706b.jpg |image_caption = Nootka lupine growing in [[Iceland]]. |genus = Lupinus |species = nootkatensis |authority = Donn ex Sims }}

'''''Lupinus nootkatensis''''', the '''Nootka lupine''',<ref>{{PLANTS|id=LUNO|taxon=Lupinus nootkatensis|accessdate=1 March 2016}}</ref> is a [[perennial plant]] of the [[genus]] ''[[Lupinus]]'' in the [[legume]] [[Family (taxonomy)|family]], [[Fabaceae]]. It is native to [[North America]] and was introduced to Europe in the late 18th century.<ref>Magnusson, B. (2006): NOBANIS – Invasive Alien Species Fact Sheet – Lupinus nootkatensis. – From: Online Database of the North European and Baltic Network on Invasive Alien Species – NOBANIS www.nobanis.org, Date of access 31 October 2008.[http://www.nobanis.org/files/factsheets/Lupinus_nootkatensis.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080920194558/http://www.nobanis.org/files/factsheets/Lupinus_nootkatensis.pdf|date=20 September 2008}}</ref> It grows up to 60&nbsp;cm tall, and has bright bluish-purple flowers. [[File:Iceland Nootka Lupin Flower.jpg|thumb|Iceland Nootka Lupin Flower]] [[File:Iceland Nootka Lupin Flower Fields.jpg|thumb|Iceland Nootka Lupin Flower Fields]]

The Nootka lupine is common on the west coast of North America, and is one of the species from which the garden hybrids are derived, being valued in Britain and other North-European countries for its tolerance of cool, wet summers. In North America, it grows along roadsides, gravel bars, and forest clearings from the Aleutian Islands and [[Southcentral Alaska]], and along the [[Southeast Alaska|Alaskan panhandle]] to [[British Columbia]]. It is a rigorous self-seeder and can often be seen along roadsides and in open meadows. Their long tap roots make transplanting difficult, so sowing seed is preferable.

==Taxonomy== The species was first described as ''Lupinus nootkatensis'' in 1810 by [[James Donn]] in ''[[Botanical Magazine]]'', Vol. 32, Page 1311.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sims |first1=John |title=Curtis's botanical magazine, or, Flower-garden displayed: In which the most ornamental foreign plants, cultivated in the open ground, the green-house, and the stove, are accurately represented in their natural colours |url=http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044106372972 |url-status=live |journal=Flower-Garden Displayed |pages=56 v |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250402094959/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044106372972&seq=5 |archive-date=2 April 2025 |access-date=2 April 2025}}</ref>

On [[the Plant List]] the species is divided in two [[Variety (botany)|varieties]]:<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/search?q=Lupinus+nootkatensis|title = Search results — the Plant List}}</ref> * ''Lupinus nootkatensis'' var. ''fruticosus'' <span class="Person">Sims</span> * ''Lupinus nootkatensis'' var. ''nootkatensis'' is the [[subspecies]].

==Toxicity== A member of the pea family ([[Fabaceae]]), lupines form seeds in fuzzy pods that may be attractive to children. The seeds of the lupine can be toxic, though toxins flush through the system quickly and are not cumulative. However, internal use is not advised.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/51569/#ixzz3pfpYktlh|title=PlantFiles: Lupinus Species, Nootka Lupine|access-date=26 October 2015|archive-date=11 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151011091110/http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/51569///#ixzz3pfpYktlh|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Nootka lupine in Iceland == In Iceland, the Nootka lupine has been designated an invasive species.<ref>Icelandic Institute of Natural History, Invasive Plants in Iceland, accessed 7 May 2019 [https://www.ni.is/grodur/agengar-plontur] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601032550/https://www.ni.is/grodur/agengar-plontur|date=1 June 2023}}</ref> The plant was introduced in 1945 by the [[Icelandic Forest Service]] to combat erosion, speed up land reclamation and help with [[Reforestation in Iceland|reforestation]].<ref name="Iceland">{{cite book |last=Bjarnason |first=Egill |title=How Iceland Changed the World: The Big History of a Small Island |publisher=Penguin Books |date=2021 |isbn=978-0143135883 |url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55197188-how-iceland-changed-the-world |location=New York}}</ref> Dense lupine cover and soil fertility can be gained within a relatively short time span, where the growth of the lupine is not limited by droughts.<ref>Biological Diversity in Iceland (2001). National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Ministry for the Environment and the Icelandic Institute of Natural History [https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/is/is-nr-01-en.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304192832/https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/is/is-nr-01-en.pdf|date=4 March 2016}}</ref> The plant has spread from the loose, eroded soil in which it was originally planted and is now found throughout the lowlands of Iceland.<ref name="NOBANIS">Borgthor Magnusson, "NOBANIS – Invasive Alien Species Fact Sheet: ''Lupinus nootkatensis''," pp. 4-5 [https://www.nobanis.org/globalassets/speciesinfo/l/lupinus-nootkatensis/lupinus_nootkatensis.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310141938/https://www.nobanis.org/globalassets/speciesinfo/l/lupinus-nootkatensis/lupinus_nootkatensis.pdf|date=10 March 2016}}</ref>

The lupine is well suited for reclamation of large, barren areas because of its nitrogen fixation and rapid growth. Furthermore, it has an ability to extract phosphorus from compounds in poor soils.<ref>Sigurður Arnarson (2014). Belgjurtabókin. Sumarhúsið og garðurinn.</ref> In spite of these good qualities, it has a tendency to become dominant and to colonize already vegetated areas such as dwarf shrub-highlands, where it overtakes the natural flora and threatens biodiversity.<ref name="NOBANIS"/> The growth of the Nootka lupine has led to public debate about its presence in Iceland, with some praising its improvement of soil through [[nitrogen fixation]] and the vibrant colour it brings to Iceland's landscape, and others concerned that it will eradicate native flora, particularly the favoured native [[crowberry]] and [[blueberry]] patches.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bjarnason |first1=Egill |title=Why Iceland Is Turning Purple |url=https://hakaimagazine.com/features/why-iceland-is-turning-purple/ |website=Hakai Magazine |access-date=26 August 2022 |date=16 January 2018}}</ref>

The initial expectation was for the Nootka lupine to retreat gradually along with increased fertility of the soil and give way for other species. This is evident on sites in Iceland where the lupine was introduced early, such as in Heiðmörk near Reykjavík.<ref>[http://www.skog.is/images/stories/frettir/2011/horfar-lupinan.pdf Daði Björnsson (2011). Hörfar lúpínan? Dæmi úr Heiðmörk. (Does lupine retreat? The case of Heiðmörk) Skógræktarritið, The Journal of the Icelandic Forestry Association, the second issue of 2011. Skógræktarfélag Íslands.]{{Dead link|date=November 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> However, plant succession is towards a [[forb]]-rich grassland, often dominated by the invasive species ''[[Anthriscus sylvestris]]'', meaning that careful management of lupine is necessary to prevent it from colonizing areas where its presence is not desirable.<ref>Borgthor Magnusson, "NOBANIS – Invasive Alien Species Fact Sheet: ''Lupinus nootkatensis''," pp. 7-9 [https://www.nobanis.org/globalassets/speciesinfo/l/lupinus-nootkatensis/lupinus_nootkatensis.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310141938/https://www.nobanis.org/globalassets/speciesinfo/l/lupinus-nootkatensis/lupinus_nootkatensis.pdf|date=10 March 2016}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Sources== {{Commons category|Lupinus nootkatensis}} *[http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LUNO] Accessed 31 October 2008. *[https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/is/is-nr-01-en.pdf] Biological Diversity in Iceland. National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Ministry for the Environment and the Icelandic Institute of Natural History. 2001.

[[Image:Lupinus nootkatensis - Iceland 20070711.jpg|thumb|left|A meadow of Nootka lupine growing in Iceland.]]

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q1640398}}

[[Category:Lupinus|nootkatensis]] [[Category:Flora of Northern America]] [[Category:Flora of Iceland]]