Lupin
Lupinus species
Lupins have great potential as a high protein source in temperate and cool
subtropical regions, as food for both humans and animals. Most species also have a
high oil content, especially the Pearl Lupin which contains 12–24%. They are also
Lupins are in the genus Lupinus of the pea family Leguminoseae (or Fabaceae).
The name “lupin” comes from the Latin word for wolf, in the mistaken belief that
the plants depleted or “wolfed” nutrients from the soil.
A great deal of plant breeding effort has been devoted to developing varieties of
lupins with a low alkaloid content, to produce “sweet” lupins. The so-called “bitter”
lupins contain 0.3–3% of alkaloid and are generally toxic to both humans and
animals if eaten in the raw state. Before consumption the grain must be laboriously
prepared, often by soaking in water and then cooking thoroughly.
The cultivated grain lupins are annuals. The seed normally germinates rapidly to
produce vigorous fast growing seedlings. When the first flower head is formed, the
main stem develops lateral branches which also form flowers; these in their turn
produce more lateral branches, the process continuing indefinitely, producing
flowers, pods, seeds and leaves whose numbers increase in geometrical progression.
Lupins have a strong taproot that penetrates deeply into the soil, and a well-
developed root system. They are capable of producing 50 MT/ha of vegetation,
containing 1.75 MT/ha of protein.
FAO estimated a worldwide production of 930,000 MT for the year 2004.
There are more than 300 species of Lupin, which can make their identification
rather difficult. The Pearl Lupin and the White Lupin have been cultivated for
thousands of years, in the Andes and the Mediterranean respectively. Today there
are about seven species that are important in food production, as follows:
White (Egyptian) Lupin—L. albus (Syn. L. termis). Grown in the Mediterranean,
Upper Nile, Madeira, Canaries and sometimes in central and southeast Europe,
Georgia, Ethiopia, South Africa, Australia, southeast North America and South
America. Flowers are white, tinged with blue or violet, and are not scented. Pods up
Pearl Lupin (Tarwi) —L. mutabilis (Syn. L. taurus). See above. Mainly found in
the Andes. Determinate and indeterminate forms are found. Flowers are normally
blue, with white or sometimes yellow marks, which turn violet and then brown
before dying. The grain contains 12–24% oil and up to 50% protein, comparable to
soybeans, but also contains bitter tasting toxic alkaloids. 90–180 cm tall.
page 69.
widely grown to be used as green manure, a topic discussed in Section 1Hd,
to 13 cm long, large off-white seeds. 30–150 cm tall.
278 TONY WINCH
Lupine, {Texas} Bluebonnet (Lupinus subcarnosus) Lupin (French); Wolfsbohne
(German); Lupino (Spanish & Italian)(1); Tremoço{seed or plant}, Tremoceiro{plant}
(Portuguese); Turmas (India); Turmus (Arabia)
(1)In the Andes L. mutabilis (Syn. L. taurus), the Pearl Lupin, has been cultivated for
at least 1500 years and is known as Tarwi. Other names used for the Pearl Lupin
include Taura, Tarin, Tarhui, Altramuz, Choco and Ullu.