Photo credit: FFWCC/Brad Kolhoff
The Endangered Plants of
The Scrub Lupine
Florida, La Florida, as it was named by Spanish explorer
Ponce De Leon, in the early 1500's, means Land of the
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
The Flower colors go from pale pink to light purple.
This is a somewhat small plant growing up to about 3 feet.
flowers and bears fruit in June.
A distinctive feature of the plant are its furry leaves and
Photo credit: FWS
Lupins are from the genus lupinus or legume or pea family.
After the plant flowers, pods appear resembling small peas.
The name lupin means comes from the Latin lupinus
as the plant tended to ravage the lands were it grew and the
was about the only animal that could eat the pods/seeds of the
Some varieties of Lupin are quite toxic, while some of the less
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
extremely Endangered and on the brink of extinction.
Not positive, but think that this is growing on our
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
Best of all, we have no fear of any harm coming to her
We don't use any.
There are over 55 Endangered or Threatened plants in
and they are all conveniently listed
Florida's Federally Listed Plant Species
Places to learn more:
Endangered Plants of the Florida Scrub
Endangered Plants List
Lupine - PDF
Florida Native Plant Society
Ecosystems of Florida
Native Orchid Blog
Planting the Scrub Lupine
Endangered Lupines Bloom at Bok
Central Florida Scrub Plants
Scrub Lupine in Recovery
Scrub Lupine Project
50 Common Native Plants
Walking with the Alligators
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Last edited May 20, 2015
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