lupine

Blue Lupine Lupinus angustifolius http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_lupine Lupinus angustifolius is a species of lupine known by many common names, including narrowleaf lupine and blue lupine. It is native to Eurasia and northern Africa, and it is naturalized in parts of Australia and North America. It is cultivated as a food crop for its edible legume seeds and as a fodder for livestock. Like other legumes the lupine fixes nitrogen and it is planted in exhausted fields as a soil improver.[2] Bacteria living in the rhizosphere of this lupine include the newly discovered species Kribbella lupini.[3] This is an erect, branching herb sometimes exceeding one meter. Each palmate leaf is divided into 5 to 9 linear leaflets under 4 centimeters long. The herbage is slightly hairy in some areas. The inflorescence bears many flowers in shades of blue, violet, pink, or white. The fruit is a legume pod containing seeds of varying colors from dark gray to brown to white, or speckled or mottled