
The Florida
Scrub Lupine
Photo credit: FFWCC/Brad Kolhoff
The Endangered Plants of
Florida
The Scrub Lupine
Lupinus aridorum
Florida, La Florida, as it was named by Spanish explorer
Ponce De Leon, in the early 1500's, means Land of the
Flowers.
We certainly do attempt to live up to the name!
The Scrub Lupine was put on the Federal Endangered Species
List in 1987.
It is the only upright pink flowering lupine in the state of
Florida.
The Flower colors go from pale pink to light purple.
This is a somewhat small plant growing up to about 3 feet.
The plant
flowers and bears fruit in June.
A distinctive feature of the plant are its furry leaves and
stems.

Florida
Scrub Lupine
Photo credit: FWS
Lupins are from the genus lupinus or legume or pea family.
After the plant flowers, pods appear resembling small peas.

Lupine
The name lupin means comes from the Latin lupinus
meaning wolf,
as the plant tended to ravage the lands were it grew and the
wolf
was about the only animal that could eat the pods/seeds of the
plant.
Some varieties of Lupin are quite toxic, while some of the less
toxic varieties
were used by Native Americans.
This very Endangered Florida Plant is found in sand pine scrub
in Orange, Osceola and Polk counties.
(And perhaps in Lake County)
For comparison, this plant is to the plant kingdom
what the Florida Panther is to the animals, as they are
both
extremely Endangered and on the brink of extinction.
Not positive, but think that this is growing on our
property
and that our resident Gopher Tortoise is very fond of it.
Since both are Endangered in Florida, it's a good thing!

Our Florida Gopher Tortoise
We do not ever
put any chemicals or toxins down,
so Harriet happily eats her way from one end to the
other.
Best of all, we have no fear of any harm coming to her
from pesticides.
We don't use any.
There are over 55 Endangered or Threatened plants in
Florida,
and they are all conveniently listed
here:
Florida's Federally Listed Plant Species
Places to learn more:
Floridata
Endangered Plants of the Florida Scrub
Florida
Endangered Plants List
FFWS
Scrub Lupine
Scrub
Lupine - PDF
Florida Native Plant Society
Ecosystems of Florida
Native Orchid Blog
Planting the Scrub Lupine
News Chief
Endangered Lupines Bloom at Bok
NPWRC
Central Florida Scrub Plants
SFWMD Newsletter
Greater Everglades
The Ledger
Scrub Lupine in Recovery
The
Scrub Lupine Project
UF
50 Common Native Plants
USDA
Plant Profiles
Walking with the Alligators

Write to Gator Woman
gatorwoman3 at centurylink.net

Keep Florida Wildlife Wild and Alive~
Web Design by:
Gator-Woman
Educating Visitors About Florida's Wildlife Since April 10, 2011
Last edited November 24, 2019
Links, questions and feedback are always appreciated.
Walking With The Alligators.com does not share or sell any visitor information.
2008 - 2019 Walking With The Alligators.com All Rights Reserved.