LUPINE (Lat. lupinus, lupinum, lupine, from lupin us, wolfish, from lupus, Gk. )okos, lykos, Oath. waifs, AS. wolf, Eng., 0I1G. wolf, “er. Wolf, ()Church Slay. vlfikfi, Lith.
Skt. rrka, wolf ; connected with Skt. rra.ic, to rend, Gk. helkein, ()Church Slay. r/Ckati; to haul), Impinus. A genus of annual and perennial herbs and half shrubs of the natural order Leguminosa•, natives of the Mediterranean region of temperate North and South Ameri ca, about 90 species being indigenous to the United States, principally to the Rocky Moun tains and Pacific Coast regions. Lupines were known to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who cultivated them for their seeds and for green manuring, for which and for ornamental purposes they are in general cultivation in temperate re gions. They succeed best on light sandy loam soils, but fail on wet and calcareous soil, or on sandy lands with a calcareous subsoil. They re quire no careful preparation of the soil. The most important species are the white lupine (Lupines albus), the yellow lupine (Lapinus luteus), and the blue lupine (Lupinus angus tifolins). The Texan species (Lapinus subcarno Aus)also merits cultivation. All species are rich
in nitrogenous matter, and when plowed under they enrich the soil in the same manner as clover and other leguminous plants.
On an average the fresh lupine forage has the following percentage composition: Water. 85.4; protein, 2.S; fat, 0.3; nitrogen-free extract. 6.2; crude fibre, 4.6; ash, 0.7. The average percentage composition of lupine hay follows: Water. 9.3; protein. 11.9; fat. 3.3; nitrogen-free extract, 40.3: crude fibre, 27.5; ash. 7.7. Lupine-seeds are rich in protein, the yellow considerably more than the blue variety. Yellow lupine seeds have the following percentage composition: Water, 14.0; protein, 38.2; fat, 4.4; nitrogen-free extract, 25.5; crude fibre, 14.1 ; and ash, 3.8. The seeds contain a bitter principle, said to be harmful to stock. They may be disembittered by repeated ex traction with cold water. They are very digesti ble. Sheep will learn to eat the seed before the bitter principle is removed. The use of lupine is not common in the United States, but is wide spread in many regions of Europe.