Exotic aliens 
     
     fi‘om the West 
     
    
   
   
    
     BY GEOFF HOGAN 
     
    
   
   
    
     The wild lupins (sometimes spelled lupines) 
     
     that flower in ditches and abandoned fields on. 
     
     Prince Edward Island are one of the most exotic 
     
     wildflowers we have. From mid—June until mid- 
     
     July we see their tall spikes along miles of 
     
     Island roadways. But it is really during the 
     
     last week of June and the first week of July 
     
     that they are at their most spectacular. If they 
     
     enthrall Islanders, think how they impress our 
     
     visitors, for they thrive in such abundance in 
     
     relatively few areas of the world. 
     
    

    
     There are many species of lupins growing 
     
     wild in nature but none are native to the Mari— 
     
     time provinces. The lupin we have is the Washington Lupin (Lupinus poly— 
     
     phyllus) which is a native from British Columbia to California. The flowers 
     
     grow on spikes from 2—5 feet tall and may be blue, white or pink. Bicolors 
     
     are common. Even after the flowers have faded, the palmlike, segmented 
     
     leaves are very attractive. In some places on the Island the color variants 
     
     are even greater: rose—colored lupins, deep purple, yellow and many bicolor 
     
     variations. These are a different strain that the "old-fashioned" blues 
     
     and pinks. They are the product of many years of plant breeding by George 
     
     Russell of Yorkshire, England and are true hybrids. The main parent, how- 
     
     ever, is Lupinus polyphyllus, the Washington Lupin. Naturally, these high- 
     
     1y valued garden ornamentals are called "Russell Hybrids". 
     
    

    
     Exactly when lupins were introduced to P.E.I. is not clear, although 
     
     Island botanist/naturalist Bruce MacLaren remembers seeing the first blue 
     
     lupins along the roadside near Vernon River at least 50 years ago and maybe 
     
     more. David Erskine, author of The Plants of Prince Edward Island, (1960, 
     
     1985) records them as being naturalized since 1912 at least. 
     
    

    
     The more intense pinks and colored forms did not appear until some— 
     
     what later, perhaps 25—30 years ago. Bruce's first recollection of these 
     
     types was along Peters Road, south of Montague. Nowadays, lupins may be 
     
     found across the Island although certain areas may predominate with one 
     
     color type or another. The swaths of blue for miles around Vernon River 
     
     may be unmatched anywhere on the Island, while the brilliance of the reds 
     
     and pinks at Indian River are nothing short of spectacular. For the best 
     
     combination of the three "wild types" (blue, soft pink and white) I know 
     
     of none better than the roadsides near Basin Head. No doubt everyone knows 
     
     of their own favorite lupin drive. 
     
    

    
     It comes as no suprise that lupins have become so widespread across 
     
     the Island. They are prolific self-seeders and do especially well on poor, 
     
     often disturbed soils, such as ditches and abandoned fields. Being members 
     
     of the Pea family, lupins are capable of fixing their own nitrogen and thus 
     
     are not inhibited by poor soil. Many people like to gather the ripe seeds 
     
     in early August and scatter them along their own property, thereby aiding 
     
     the natural spread of the species. Lupins cannot tolerate lime in the soil 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
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