Loopy for Lupine–Natural Nitrogen Fixers

lupineBees go loopy for lupine and this week, wildflower expert, Cheryl Lisin of the Lost Coast Interpretive Association, gives us a quick recap of this local beauty. Besides poppies and buttercups, lupines are some of the most commonly noticed blooms in the area. So, make sure you’ve got your facts straight.

Cheryl says,

Blooming  along roadsides and in grassy coastal prairies is purple bush lupine, Lupinus rivularis. The bees love the flowers; they can be seen and heard buzzing around collecting pollen on a sunny day. A perennial shrub, purple bush lupine lives for several years and is a great garden plant.

Lupines are in the pea family, Fabaceae, and have nodules on the roots that help fix nitrogen in the soil. It ranges from the North Coast to British Columbia.
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Zoltanwelvart
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Zoltanwelvart
8 years ago

Mesquite,bean tree,is nitrogen fixer.behind church,in front of saltpan,I saw man collecting pods,stealing,behind church.about same time priest was counting donations.i,asked why?for a goat.and I study clairavoiance.so I said,organic,I’ll pay 4 times regular price.for meat.you see,tree behind church has roots in water table,an inland sea,is four times as big,because ,at table is 2 meters pure green powder.phytoplankton.intimate with roots.pods are corkscrewed,purplish.also turns purslane purple,that’s 3 – omega plant.Both beans are toxic .honey mesquite pod is sweet.nica,my mentor,drank mesquite tea,and died in her sleep,at 103..

Ernie Branscomb
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Ernie Branscomb
8 years ago

Zoltanwelvart.
Thank you for that information, I was totally unaware of any of that. To find out about that inland sea answered a lot of questions for me. Gosh who knew? I knew that beans were a nitrogen fixer, but I didn’t know until now that they were being stolen! How low can you get … stealing beans behind the church. I am also clairvoyant, so I looked into his future. You will be glad to know that the man will be going straight to hell for stealing the church beans, and rightfully so. When I get to be 103 yo I intend to steer clear of those poison corkscrew purple beans. I will probably just be hitting my stride by then.
Thanks again, Ernie

Zoltanwelvart
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Zoltanwelvart
8 years ago

Pod,sweet and nutritious,seed toxic if animal eats ,grinds.lupine beans known to be toxic.old people eat nopal pads,packrats,cooked Joshua palm dates,mesquite pod tea.at 6,000′,no heating of adobe houses.the microclimate the tree produces is pleasant and has nitrogen for other smaller plants.but beautiful is the rubbery,dark green algae growing on caliche rocks.left,1/8″ thick after rain,dries into black.like paint.only as nutritious,for soil,as it’s ingredients.soluables
and suspendables,and salts.the deposit is just nutrient for next bloom,with co2.