 |
Silky Lupine
|
 |
|||||||
Lupinus sericeus
Fabaceae
| THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS of North America are home to many species of lupine. Lewis encountered at least four. He wrote about one during the winter of 1805-06 on the Pacific coast and collected three others while in the mountains on the trip home. On June 5, 1806, while at Camp Chopunnish in present-day Idaho, Lewis made note of a considerable number of plants that he thought were “common to our country,” including “several of the pea blume flowering plants.” This is thought to be a reference to the silky lupine, which is not found in the eastern part of the continent; it was unknown to western science. The flower of silky lupine is of a pale lavender hue and is typical of the pea family, with the petals forming distinctly different upper and lower lips. |
|||