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Lupinus angustifolius L.

Overview
General Information
ID Info
Similar Species
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Aperçu
Renseignements Généraux
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Family :

Famille :

Fabaceae

Synonym(s) :

Synonyme(s) :

Common Name(s) :

Nom(s) commun(s) :

Blue lupine

(English) (Wiersema 1999)
European blue lupine (English) (Wiersema 1999)
Narrow-leaf lupin (English) (Gladstones 1998)
Sweet lupinseed (English) (Gladstones 1998),
Australian blue lupin (English) (DAFWA 2008)
Lupin à feuilles étroites (French) (USDA-ARS 2022)
Lupin petit bleu (French) (USDA-ARS 2022)

Lupinus angustifolius seeds, hilum view (top) and side view (bottom)

  • Lupinus angustifolius seeds, hilum view (top) and side view (bottom)

  • Lupinus angustifolius (lupine)  seeds

  • Lupinus angustifolius (lupine)  seeds

  • Lupinus angustifolius (lupine)  seed

  • Lupinus angustifolius (lupine)  seed

  • Lupinus angustifolius seed, hilum and lens

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Overview

Aperçu

Regulation :

Remarques Réglementation:

    Regulation Notes:

    Distribution :

    Répartition :

    Lupinus angustifolius is native to the Mediterranean area of Europe and introduced to areas worldwide with subtropical and tropical climates (CABI 2024).

    Habitat and Crop Association :

    Habitat et Cultures Associées :

    Lupinus angustifolius generally prefers well drained acidic soil that is of light to medium texture (Wolko et al. 2011). Although, it is commonly grown as a grain and fodder crop, L. angustifolius is classified as a minor environmental weed in the Environmental Weed Strategy of Western Australia (WOA 2022). In Western Australia it is found in disturbed sites, waste areas, roadsides, croplands, woodlands, coastal habitats, and parks (WOA 2022). It is also naturalized in New South Wales, Australia where it is frequently found in eucalyptus woodlands (WOA 2022).

    Economic Use, cultivation area, and Weed Association :

    Utilisation économique, zone de culture et association de mauvaises herbes :

    Lupinus angustifolius is used as a forage, soil improver, green manure, and a grain legume in tropical and sub-tropical parts of the world (Gladstones 1998; Rojas-Sandoval 2022).

    In recent years, new varieties of Lupinus angustifolius have been bred to be more suitable as a crop for human consumption. Flour made from ground lupins is commonly used in Europe to make baked goods and pasta (DAFWA 2008).

    Australia is the world’s largest producer of Lupinus angustifolius (DAFWA 2008). L. angustifolius has been widely cultivated in Australia since the 1980s (Wolko et al. 2011).

    Duration of Life Cycle :

    Durée du cycle vital:

    Annual (Rojas-Sandoval 2022)

    Dispersal Unit Type :

    Type d’unité de dispersion :

    Seed

    General Information

    RENSEIGNEMENTS GÉNÉRAUX

    Although Lupinus albus (white lupin) has been consumed by humans, for several hundred years, Lupinus angustifolius has only been used as a food crop since the late 1990s. Wild types of L. angustifolius have bitter seeds due to a high content of alkaloids. (Australia and New Zealand Food Authority 2001). They also have impermeable seed coats, non-shattering pods, and are late flowering. All of these traits make wild types of L. angustifolius unsuitable for cultivation and human consumption. In recent years, plant breeders have worked to develop cultivars that do not have these undesirable traits (DAFWA 2008).

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    Identification

    Identification

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    • Legume

      Size

      • Legume length: 5 – 7 cm; width: 10 – 12 cm (Rojas-Sandoval 2022)

      Shape

      • Legume is oblong with a tapered end

      Surface Texture

      • Legume surface is covered in short hairs

      Colour

      • Legume is green when immature and light brown when mature (Dracup and Kirby 1996)

      Other Features

      • Legume contains 5-6 seeds per legume (Rojas-Sandoval 2022)
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    • Seed

      Size

      • Seed size from literature
        • Seed length: 7-9 mm; width: 6-7mm (Bojňanský and Fargašová 2007)
        • Seed length: 7-8 mm (Rojas-Sandoval 2022)
        • Seed length: 8-9 mm; width: 6 mm (USDA 1978)

      Shape

      • Seed is D-shaped in lateral view to oval in hilum view
      • Hilum shape is flattened oval to slightly wedge-shaped, with the narrow end being closest to the lens
      • The profile of the seed slightly bulges at the hilum and the seed coat forms a slight rim around the hilum

      Surface Texture

      • Seed surface texture is smooth

      Colour

      • Seeds commonly seen are dull and mottled with distinct colours of brownish grey, off-white, and brown
      • Seed coat colour is widely variable amongst different varieties with some possible coat colours including off-white background, with dark brown, light brown, or greenish brown mottling; straw coloured with light brown mottling; solid colours of off-white, straw, or greenish white (Roman et al. 2023)
      • Colour mottling becomes more evident as seeds mature (Dracup and Kirby 1996)
      • Under higher magnification, small black or brown dots cover portions of the off-white base colour and it is the clustering of these dots scattered on the seed that give the illusion of mottling
      • The hilum is surrounded on three sides with an outline of colour that is slightly darker than the base colour (usually orangish brown)
      • Between the hilum and the lens there is a triangular area of darker colour
      • A linear band of darker colouration extends from the hilum in the direction opposite the lens for roughly half the length of the seed

      Lupinus angustifolius seeds, hilum view (top) and side view (bottom)

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    • Embryo

      Size

      • Embryo fills the seed

      Shape

      • Embryo is bent (Martin 1946)

      Endosperm

      • The endosperm is absorbed during embryo development (Dracup and Kirby 1996)
      • Nutritive tissue stored in the cotyledons

      Other Features

      • Embryo is in the axial position

    Identification Tips

    CONSEILS POUR L’IDENTIFICATION

    Lupinus angustifolius seed is dull, and often comprised of greyish brown, brown, and white patches. There is a triangular dark coloured patch between the hilum and the lens and a thick, dark line extending from the hilum end furthest from the lens, for approximately half the seed length. Various other colour combinations exist such as solid white which could be more easily confused with solid white forms of Lupinus luteus and smaller seeds of Lupinus albus.

    Lupinus angustifolius seeds, hilum view (top) and side view (bottom)

    Additional Botany Information

    AUTRES RENSEIGNEMENTS BOTANIQUES

    Flowers/Inflorescence

    • Flowers are bright blue and the inflorescence is a raceme (Rojas-Sandoval 2022)

    Vegetative Features

    • Plants are erect, approximately 50 cm tall or less, with stems covered in long soft hairs and leaves comprised of 5-9 linear leaflets (Rojas-Sandoval 2022)

    Similar Species

    ESPÈCES SEMBLABLES

    Similar species are based on a study of seed morphology of various species, and those with similar dispersal units are identified. The study is limited by physical specimen and literature availability at the time of examination, and possibly impacted by the subjectivity of the authors based on their knowledge and experience. Providing similar species information for seed identification is to make users aware of similarities that could possibly result in misidentification.
    Feature Lupinus albus Lupinus angustifolius Lupinus luteus
    General size comparisons

     

    		 – Length: 8-10 mm; width: 7-8 mm (Bojňanský and Fargašová 2007)

    – Length: 10-15 mm; width: 10-12mm (USDA 1928)–

    -The largest of these three species

    		 – Length: 7-9 mm; width: 6-7 mm (Bojňanský and Fargašová 2007)

    -Length: 8-9 mm; width: 6 mm (USDA 1978)

    -The thickest of these three species

     

    		 -Length: 6.5-8 mm; width: 5.5-6.5 mm (Bojňanský and Fargašová 2007)

    -Length: 9 mm; width: 7 mm (USDA 1978)

     
    Shape Lens square shaped with a depression in the middle D-shaped in lateral view and oval in hilum view Lens D-shaped; some with slight depression in the middle
    Line extending from hilum on the side opposite the lens Not present Thick dark line roughly half the length of seed and comprised of small dark brown dots Not present
    Triangular patch of dark colouration between hilum and lens Not present Present Not present
    Lens – Lens is larger but less raised and more obscure

    – Lens length:  2 mm (USDA 1978)

    		 – Lens is large, raised bump

    – Lens length:  1 mm (USDA 1978)

    		 – Lens is raised, prominent, and can be seen in the seed’s profile view and is closer to the hilum than other two species

    – Lens length:  1 mm (USDA 1978)

     

     
    Hilum – Oval

    – Large compared to the other two species

    – Wide

    – Symmetrical

    – Surrounded by a raised ring of tissue sometimes it is a darker yellowish white

    		 – Oval to slightly wedge-shaped

    – There is a raised ring of tissue around the hilum that is less raised closest to the lens side of the hilum and thickest (protrudes) on side of hilum furthest from the lens

    		 – Oval to egg-shaped

    – The smallest hilum of the three species

    – Darker streaks or dots of colour radiate from hilum on mottled varieties
    Colour of seed coat Off-white Off-white base colour with grey and brown mottling; other colour variations exist such as solid colours of off-white or straw This species has seeds that are solid off-white to yellowish white, mottled with a base colour of off-white with dark brown mottling, and dark brown with white mottling or patches.

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    Reference(s)

    Référence(s)

    Australia and New Zealand Food Authority. 2001. Lupin Alkaloids in Food. A Toxicological Review and Risk Assessment Technical Report Series No. 3. Australia and New Zealand Food Authority.

    Bojňanský, V. and Fargašová, A. 2007. Atlas of Seeds and Fruits of Central and East-European Flora: The Carpathian Mountains Region. Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands. 1046 pp.

    Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI). 2024. Invasive Species Compendium, CAB International, Wallingford, UK. https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/journal/cabicompendium Accessed November 27, 2024.

    Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia (DAFWA). 2008. Australian Sweet Lupin: a very healthy asset. http://lupinfoods.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Australian-Sweet-Lupin1.pdf

    Dracup, M., and Kirby, E.J.M. 1996. Lupin Development Guide. 1st. Edited by Alex George. Vol. 1. 1 vols. Perth, Western Australia: University of Western Australia Press.

    Gladstones, J.S. 1998. Distribution, origin, taxonomy, history and importance. Lupins as crop plants: biology, production and utilization 11. Wallingford, United Kingdom: CAB International.

    Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS). 2022. Australian National Botanic Gardens. https://www.anbg.gov.au/ibis/ Accessed March 07, 2022.

    Rojas-Sandoval, J. 2022. CABI Invasive Species Compendium. Wallingford, UK: Lupinus angustifolius (narrow-leaf lupin) datasheet. https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/31706 Accessed March 18, 2022.

    Roman, L., Tsochatzis. E., Tarin, K., Röndahl, E.M., Ottosen, C., Corredig, M., 2023. Compositional Attributes of Blue Lupin (Lupinus angustifolius) Seeds for Selection of High-Protein Cultivars. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 71(45), 17308-17320.

    United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). 1978. Identification of Crop and Weed Seeds (Agriculture Handbook No. 219). United States Department of Agriculture. Washington, D.C. Page 80.

    United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Services (USDA-ARS). 2022. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=22805 Accessed February 02, 2022.

    Weeds of Australia (WOA). 2022. https://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/media/Html/lupinus_angustifolius.htm Accessed January 28, 2022.

    Wiersema, J. H. and León, B. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.

    Wolko, B., Clements, J.C., Naganowska, B., Nelson, M.N., Yang, H. (2011). Lupinus. In: Kole, C. (eds) Wild Crop Relatives: Genomic and Breeding Resources. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-14387-8_9

    Author(s)

    AUTEUR(S)

    Janessa Emerson, Angela Salzl

    Canadian Food Inspection Agency

    Acknowledgement:

    To Lirong Hao and Taran Meyer of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for their seed imaging.

    contactus@idseed.org

    Last updated
    on 2023-03-27

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