Lupinus nanus - Annual Lupin Seeds

The Dwarf Annual Lupin or Lupinus nanus is an annual plant native to the western United States, with rapid growth. It forms a low tuft of small palmate leaves from which short floral spikes emerge, bearing spikes of delightfully fragrant flowers, ranging from sky blue to deep royal blue punctuated with white. It blooms from early to late spring and attracts many bees and butterflies. The roots of this plant capture atmospheric nitrogen, converting it into fertilizing elements, helping to enrich poor soils. This easy-to-grow plant is a valuable green fertilizer. It thrives in full sun, in light or sandy soil, with a tendency towards acidity, even poor soil, and readily self-seeds.

The Lupinus nanus is an annual plant in the fabaceae family. It is found in the wild in California, Nevada, and on Steens Mountain in eastern Oregon. It tends to grow on slopes and in open or disturbed areas below 1300 meters above sea level. It has a compact habit of 20 to 60 cm in flower height, with a width of 40 cm. The compound leaves are distinguished from other fabaceae by their palmate leaves with a minimum of five leaflets, radiating from a single petiole. They are villous and dark green. In spring, long upright spikes covered with flowers appear in dense whorls, each flower measuring 1 to 2 cm long. The flowers, by their structure, resemble those of peas, being blue and white. The fruit is a pod containing several large seeds, easy to sow.

Perfect for poor and too light soils, but lacking in limestone, annual lupins readily self-sow in suitable gardens, providing a profusion of often fragrant spikes. The Lupinus nanus is often seen in the wild alongside the California Poppy, with which it forms a colourful duo. In natural areas, associate them with sainfoin, lucerne, gesses, and grasses.