Lupinus diffusus
sky blue lupine
Fabaceae (Leguminosae)
Plant Specifics
Form:
flower
Size:
2.5-3.5 ft tall by 1-3 ft wide
Life Span:
biennial
Flower Color:
blue, lavender
Fruit Color:
green
Phenology:
Naturally sprouts in autumn and blooms the following year in mid-spring.
Noted For:
Showy Flowers, Showy Fruits, Interesting Foliage
Landscaping
Recommended Uses:
Wildflower garden where it can be used as a specimen plant.
Considerations:
Hard to establish. Biennial, though may reseed.
Light:
Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance:
Short very dry periods ---- to ---- Very long very dry periods
Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:
Unknown
Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:
Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray
Soil or Other Substrate:
Sand
Suitable to Grow In:
8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B
Ecology
Wildlife:
Pollinators, Caterpillars
- Larval host for frosted elfin ( Callophyris irus ) butterfly, which is listed as Endangered in Florida.
- Also larval host for gray hairstreak ( Strymon melinis ) butterfly, Genista broom moth ( Uresiphita reversalis )a nd other butterflies and moths that use members of the Fabaceae family ( FNPS blog ).
- Attracts bees including bumblebees. Documented visitors include Anthidiellum notatum rufimaculatum, A. perplexum, Megachile exilis parexilis, Osmia sp. and Bombus griseocollis (Deyrup et al. 2002).
Native Habitats:
