Lupinus polyphyllus

A colorful mixture of cultivated forms

The -Pod Lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus ), also called perennial lupine, a plant of the genus of lupines (Lupinus ), the subfamily of the Fabaceae ( Faboideae ) within the family Leguminosae ( Fabaceae ) is heard.

Dissemination

The original range of the species is the Pacific North America from British Columbia to California. Where it grows on oceanic dominated mountain meadows at altitudes of 2900 m. The incidence has been extended by the people across many parts of North America.

The -Pod Lupine was introduced to England in 1826 and was. Cultivations in temperate latitudes to widespread garden plant It is now cultivated in many color variations. It also tends to naturalizing - first detected for Germany 1890 in Bavaria. Today it is the most common lupine species in Central Europe. This neophyte ( = alien ) grows apart from gardens preferably on slopes of roads and railways, forest edges and clearings. This type is one of the 15 most common neophyte in Germany.

Use

Since they are nitrogen collector by the " rhizobia " cultural forms are used as green manure. There are also many lupins sown as ornamentals and for embankment attachment. A dramatic example of lack of ecological insight is the sowing of lupins on highway embankments. The lupins liked adopted by Wild as a forage plant having frequent game changes and thus to numerous accidents involving deer.

Description

The -Pod Lupine is an erect, perennial, herbaceous plant that reaches the plant height of 60 to 150 cm. Are formed as outlasting rhizomes. The plants are usually not branched. The arranged alternate, palmate leaves consist of nine to 17 - lanceolate pointed leaves that are about 3 to 15 cm long. The stipules are fused with the petioles.

The terminal, erect, racemose inflorescence is up to 50 cm long with 50 to 80 flowers. The hermaphrodite flowers are zygomorphic. The natural form has blue, rarely white petals. The petals are formed boat, wings and banner; The tab is slightly shorter than the wings. There are two circles, each with five stamens present. There is only one carpel available. Pollination is by bumblebees and related species. The flowering period extends from late May to early August.

The hairy, flattened, curved legume is 2.5 to 6 cm long and contains four to twelve seeds. The spherical seeds are grayish with dark spots and about 3 to 5 mm long.

Ecology

The -Pod Lupine is a perennial Hemikryptophyt. She is a Rohbodenpionier and nitrogen collectors by relatively large root nodules with symbiotic bacteria of the genus Rhizobium, which can bind particularly large amount of air nitrogen. This free- living in the soil, but there is no nitrogen-fixing bacteria penetrate through the root hairs in the root bark of the plant. Lured they are separated from the roots by specific signaling proteins. The bacteria react with the release of lipo- oligosaccharides, which are referred to as " nodulation ". These in turn lead to reactions in the host plant. The root hairs start to bend and press the bacteria against the cell wall, which then eliminated the need to enter pectin -dissolving enzyme polygalacturonase and plenty of cell divisions of cortical cells triggers that eventually lead to the formation of bile, the " nodule ". The nodule cells reach a 80 times larger volume compared to normal cells. Necessarily, they are highly polyploid and have a to 64 sets of chromosomes. Add them now multiply the nodule bacteria and eventually transform themselves into so-called bacteroids. It has been estimated up to 80 000 Bakterioide. The host plant supplies up from about half of their manufactured carbohydrates to the bacteria. It applies for the same time of the bacteroids organic nitrogen compounds. Finally, the microbes are almost all dissolved. Last of all die off nodule. After that still remain in the soil sufficient bacteria for a new infection of host plants. Overall, both partners - through temporary symbiosis - a great benefit from each other.

The flowers are vormännliche " pollen butterfly flower with Pupmechanismus ". This is initiated by depressing the boat when sitting heavier insects. In the younger flowers of ocher pollen swells from the tatting, the pen appears in the elderly with the head scars. Since the flower presents no nectar, no nectar gap must be left blank ie all 10 stamens in the lower part are fused into a tube. The stamens are in 2 rows; the longer drain into the flower bud, the shorter grow and act like flask, by pressure on the boat at the pollen presses outward. Pollinators are bumblebees and other bees. Self-pollination is prevented by a fringe of hair on the grain base. Bloom time is from June to August.

The fruit valves of the pods crack during drying explosively, curl up in a spiral due to the tensile stress due to crossed cellulose ribbons and throw the seeds with great force over several meters away ( dehydration spreader ). The spherical seeds spread as a floor roller. They are dark and cold germinator germinator. Through solid shell and Resevestoffe of cotyledons they are over 50 years germinable. Fruit ripening from July to October. Vegetative propagation is done by underground runners.

Toxicology

Lupines are toxic by quinolizidine alkaloids ( Lupinan, Hydroxilupinan ), especially the seeds.

Hybrids

There are a number of breeding lines (selection):

• ' Russell Hybrids '
• 'Gallery '
• ' Minarets '

And individual locations (selection):

• ' Chandelier '
• ' My Castle '
• ' Noble youth '
• ' Castle woman '
• ' Miss'
• ' Schatzalp '
• ' Castellan '

Swell

• Versatile information on this neophyte. ( German )
• Description in species from British Columbia.
• R. Duell / H. Kutzelnigg: Pocket Dictionary of Plants in Germany. 7th edition, Quelle & Meyer Verlag, 2011, ISBN 978-3-494-01424-1