arctic lupine
Lupinus arcticus · Fabaceae
arctic lupine (Lupinus arcticus) is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Fabaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 1 and warmer, down to about -62°F.
At a glance
| Type | forb-herb USDA |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 2 ft USDA |
| Light | part-shade USDA |
| Soil pH | 5–7.5 USDA |
| Bloom | March–May USDA |
| Flower color | Blue USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 1 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | nutrient Derived |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It grows in partial shade. Its drought tolerance is rated low. It will not tolerate waterlogged soil — USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance as none. It is recorded on soils from pH 5 to 7.5 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 1.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 2 ft, making it about knee height.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of March through May. Flowers are blue.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is green, fine in texture. Its flowers are conspicuous. Its fruit or seed heads are conspicuous, extending interest past flowering. Its active growth period is spring and summer. USDA rates its lifespan as short, so plan on replacing or resowing it rather than treating it as permanent structure.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 10 to 100 inches of annual precipitation. The low end of that band is genuinely arid, so it has a wide tolerance for dry country. It needs at least 120 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 12 inches.
Propagating it
Propagate it from seed, container stock and corms. Seed needs cold stratification — a period of moist chilling — before it will germinate, so sow in autumn or chill it artificially before a spring sowing. Its seed spreads at a slow rate.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals find it moderately palatable, so expect deer and rabbits to take an interest. Its growth form is recorded as multiple stem.
Role in a guild
Nutrient layer. In a layered planting this is it contributes to soil fertility rather than to structure. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Lupinus
- white lupine Lupinus albus
- sicklekeel lupine Lupinus albicaulis
- Great Basin lupine Lupinus ×alpestris
- narrowleaf lupine Lupinus angustifolius
Similar role and hardiness
- alpine sweetvetch Hedysarum alpinum
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol LUAR2, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, Bloom, Bloom end, browse palatability, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, Edible, fall conspicuous, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, Type.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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