Lupine Flower Adaptations. It can fix Nitrogen. However Lupinus perennis is an ecologically significant plant for a different reason.
They can grow in partial shade but their flowering will be diminished. The nut-like seeds were once a favorite food for traveling troops in ancient Europe. Light colored hairs on leaves and stems reflect excess sunlight and reduce water loss as observed on Zayante everlasting Gnaphalium sp.
The plant is hairy with an erect stem or one that lays flat with its tips curving up.
24052020 Numerous bees and flies pollinate wild lupine but since the flowers lack nectar pollen is their only reward. 20111997 Lupine is adapted to well-drained coarsely textured neutral to acidic soils. It tolerates a wide variety of soil types including dry sandy soils as well as moist well-drained loams. Lupine is a long-lived cool-season beautiful perennial plant that grows 1 to 4 feet tall and has vibrant blue flowers.