Anyone lucky enough to visit Prince Edward Island in early summer will surely have noticed the colorful swaths of flowering lupines. The vivid blooming spikes of Large-leaved Lupines (Lupinus polyphyllus), in every shade and tint of purple and pink, add punch to the Island’s idyllic views. A favorite spot, especially at this time of year, is the lookoff at French River called Hostetter’s Viewscape.
The views were spectacular in every direction. Here lupines frame a recently planted field of potatoes.
This spectacular field of lupines was across the road from Hostetter’s Viewscape.
The sight of all these lupines with the rolling, green hills of the countryside in the distance was simply stunning!
In this next photo, lupines edge a view of the Southwest River near New London.
Lupines lined this quiet, little woodland path along the Confederation Trail in Charlottetown.
Lupines grow in the ditches and along the shoulder of the roads.
They sprout up in the uncultivated corners of farmers’ fields.
And occasionally lupines beautify the unexpected—like this discarded toilet!
Upon closer inspection, lupines bloom in a beautiful array of colors. The majority of lupines are deep purple…
… and rich blue …
… with hues of lavender and violet.
But, lupines also bloom in shades and tints of red …
… pink, …
… and white.
Lupines (also spelled lupins) are so prevalent, in fact, that they’re actually considered invasive in some areas. For instance, I found mention of this problem in Iceland, New Zealand and New Brunswick, Canada. Regardless, lupines are a perennial favorite among flower gardeners for their vibrant colors and strong vertical form. Pictured below a pretty, cottage-styled, flower garden, filled with lupines, flanks a home’s entrance.
Lupines bloom for only a few weeks so their foliage is also a consideration. It’s a rich, grass-green in color with palmately lobed leaves radiating from a center point.
Given the lupines’ pleasing characteristics, it’s little wonder artists often include them in their art. These pretty hand-crafted pottery mugs, by Trout River Pottery from Millvale in Prince Edward Island, are a case in point.
While researching lupine flowers for this blog post, I discovered the real story is the lupine bean. The fruit of the lupine is a pod containing several seeds.
The conventional wisdom among Maritimers is that lupines are poisonous. Yet in some parts of the world, such as the Mediterranean region, people have enjoyed pickled lupine beans for centuries.
In fact, “lupin poisoning, which is a nervous syndrome caused by alkaloids in bitter lupins, can affect people who eat incorrectly prepared lupin beans” explains Wikipedia. “Mediterranean cultures prefer the historic bitter lupin beans with the required toxin-removal by traditional leaching in water preparation methods due to the better flavour that results.”
Interestingly, plant breeders have developed a new variety of lupine, called “sweet lupins”, which eliminates the toxicity problem. Sweet lupines were first bred in 1930 by German breeder Von Sengbusch. The Australian Sweet Lupin (Lupinus angustifolius), also known as Narrowleaf Lupin, is an example.
“Researchers and nutritionists believe that the new varieties of sweet lupins have great potential, are superior to soy beans in certain applications, and are possibly “the next big thing” in human nutrition.” reports food nutritionist/ author Chrissy Freer in her 2016 book, Superlegumes: Eat Your Way to Great Health. “With a protein content of around 40%, lupins are one of the richest sources of plant protein, and they are packed with dietary fiber (more than 30%). They’re also rich in antioxidants, low in carbohydrates and fat, and naturally gluten-free.”
Pictured below are some immature beans from common lupine plants found in Prince Edward Island.
Freer’s claims are strongly supported by Prolupin, a German company which calls itself “real lupineers… with the answer for the nutrition of the future”. This organization has more than 25 years of research experience specializing in lupine products for plant-based nutrition. As explained on their website “The future of plant-based protein supply is growing right outside our door: the sweet lupine. Many only think of it as a flower, but lupine seeds are also among the most protein-rich edible plants around. We recognized that early on – and here at Prolupin we process varieties of the regional sweet lupin specially adapted to the requirements of food production. … For us, the basis is the production of innovative, high-quality ingredients and recipes – the successful introduction of our brand MADE WITH LUVE is an important proof point.” Shown below is a screenshot from the MADE WITH LUVE website.
Future Market Insights, a certified market research organization “providing in-depth insights into governing factors elevating demand in the market” recently authored a report called Lupin Protein Market Outlook (2023 to 2033). It states the “global lupin protein market is valued at US$ 98.8 million as of 2023” and projects in ten years the “lupin protein market forecast value 2033 will be US$ 159.7 million.” The report explains “In today’s market, there is an increasing demand for plant-based protein products. … Lupin is a high-quality protein that is low in carbohydrates and fat, and it also contains essential amino acids. Thus, even health experts opine that the consumption of lupin protein is highly beneficial for health.”
I’m left wondering… will the much-admired lupine shift from invasive beauty to “next big thing” or will it become both?
More Info
Special thanks to my terrific father-in-law, Charlie, for the personal Island tour! There were lupines everywhere but finding great photos took a little more effort. Thanks also to Betty and David for humoring me during the many photo stops.
Wikipedia has multiple, informative articles about lupines including an entry on “Lupinus” which is “commonly known as lupin, lupine (common spelling in North America) or regionally bluebonnet etc., … a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae”.
For more information about Trout River Pottery, check out their Instagram account.
To learn more about the lupine bean and its future, check out:
. the 2016 book SuperLegumes: Eat Your Way to Great Health, by food nutritionist/ author Chrissy Freer. It is available here on Internet Archive
. the Prolupin website, a German company who “believe[s] that the lupine is the plant-based protein of the future”
. the Future Market Insights report: Lupin Protein Market Outlook (2023 to 2033).
I have the pleasure of frequent visits to Prince Edward Island, Canada. Check out this FanningSparks’ Travel > Canada > PEI category index to learn more about my adventures on the Island.
Today’s Takeaways
1. Lupines in bloom are all the more beautiful because of their brief appearance.
2. Be aware of the lupine’s invasive nature and plan accordingly if you consider planting them.
3. Little-known regional practices can lead to innovation with significant, global potential.
2 Comments
@Barbie Thanks for your comments! Your gardening plans, to replace grass with wildflowers and food gardens, sound amazing! I didn’t research it extensively but I got the impression different varieties of lupines spread to different degrees. It might be worthwhile checking with your local nursery or gardening gurus. Good luck! Peg
What impeccable timing! I just planted some lupine transplants today. My neighbour has some growing in a strip between 2 driveways and I’ve always loved the flowers. I have a large yard that I’m converting from grass to wildflowers and food gardens and figured letting them spread in one area of my yard would be lovely. I’ll have to be diligent to keep it from spreading too far, but I think I can do it. The other side of the house (which gets more sun) will be dedicated to the bees and butterflies so they’ll get a large selection to feed from. Thanks for giving a good neutral look at these beauties.