Plant Data Sheet
Species
Silky
lupine, Lupinus sericeus, Pursh
Photo
credit: Wildflowers of
Silky lupine occurs
east of the
Silky lupine has been
found to 10,000 feet (3,030 m) elevation in
East of the Cascades,
silky lupine occurs as a significant component of the herbaceous layer in
ponderosa pine savannas, shrub-steppe, and grassland communities. (FEIS
database)
Silky lupine occurs
in a range of habitats including grasslands, sagebrush, mountain brush, and
aspen and conifer forests. Silky lupine is found on dry, rocky sites on gentle
to steep slopes and in open woods. (FEIS database)
Seral species. Tolerant of partial shade but prefers full sun. Occurs in open, climax ponderosa pine systems throughout its range
and in openings within late-seral Douglas-fir forests
in
Some species commonly
associated with silky lupine include Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii),
common snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus),
ninebark (Physocarpus malvaceus),
serviceberry (Amelanchier
spp.), mountain-mahogany (Cercocarpus spp.),
arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata), western yarrow (Achillea millefolium),
heartleaf arnica (Arnica cordifolia), pinegrass (Calamagrostis rubescens), bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata),
Sandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda),
Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis),
prairie junegrass (Koeleria cristata), and sedges (Carex spp.). (FEIS database)
May be collected as:
Seed
Collect seedpods when
they turn tan, before dehiscence. Pods
are generally mature from July into August depending upon location. (FEIS
database; Hosokawa, et al. 2001)
Seed germination
Silky lupine seeds are protected by a hard seed coat and need germination pretreatments of scarification and stratification. One method for achieving germinable seeds is as follows:
Seeds are placed in a
hot water scarification bath and allowed to cool overnight to imbibe. Seeds are
wrapped in moist paper towels and placed under refrigeration at 3 degrees C for
a 30-day stratification. (Hosokawa, et
al. 2001)
Seed life (can be stored, short shelf-life, long shelf-life)
Seeds can remain
viable from 20 to 60 years in sealed containers at 3 to 5 C. (Hosokawa, et
al. 2001)
Dry seeds in sealed
containers stored at 3 to 5 C.
Propagation recommendations
Seed
Soil or medium requirements
Seeds should be
inoculated with Rhizobium
specific to Lupinus spp. and can
be planted for container production in a soilless mix
of peat, perlite, vermiculite and sand with a
controlled release fertilizer. (Hosokawa, et al. 2001)
Silky lupine grows
best on sites with dry, sandy, loamy, sandy-loam, and clayey-loam soils. (FEIS
database)
Installation form
Silky lupine does not
transplant well, so direct seeding after inoculation with Rhizobium is recommended. If container grown seedlings are used, they
should be transplanted the first year if possible and can be installed in the
spring or fall. (Hosokawa, et al. 2001)
No data found.
Care requirements after installed
Water regularly at
least through first growing season.
Container grown
seedlings are large enough for transplanting after 1 growing season.
FEIS database:
Accessed on
Franklin, J.
F. and C. T. Dyrness. 1973. Natural
Vegetation of
Hitchcock, C.
L. and A. Cronquist. 1973. Flora of the
Hosokawa, J.,
D. Wick, and T. Luna. 2001. Propagation protocol for production of
container Lupinus sericeus Pursh. plants (172 ml conetainers);
Data compiled by Anne G. Andreu,