- Lupinus albus
Taxobox
name = "Lupinus albus" L. - White lupin
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regnum =Plantae
subregnum =Tracheobionta
superdivisio =Spermatophyta
divisio =Magnoliophyta
classis =Magnoliopsida
subclassis =Rosidae
ordo =Fabales
familia =Fabaceae
tribus =Luppineae
genus =Lupinus
species = "L. albus"
binomial = "Lupinus albus"
binomial_authority = L., 1753"Lupinus albus" (
Linaeus 1753), commonly known as the white lupin, is a member of thegenus "Lupinus " in the familyFabaceae . It is a traditional pulse cultivated in theMediterranean region .Description
The white lupin is annual, more or less pubescent plant, 30 - 120 cm high, has a wide distribution in the
Mediterranean region. White Lupine is widely spread as wild plants throughout the southernBalkans , the islands ofSicily ,Corsica andSardinia , and theAegean Sea , as well as inIsrael ,Palestine and westernTurkey . Occurs in meadows, pastures, and grassy slopes, predominantly on sandy and acid soils. It is cultivated over all the Mediterranean region and also in Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Syria, Central and Western Europe, USA and South America, Tropical and Southern Africa, Russia, and Ukraine. The ancient culture of white lupin under the local name "hanchcoly" was practiced until recently in Western Georgia. White lupin is distinct within the vast and polymorphous genus "Lupinus" L. for small variation of morphological characters. However, it has wide intraspecific variability in physiological plant properties: duration of vernalization time and growth rate, photoperiodic sensitivity, shape tolerance, drought resistance, cold- and winter-hardiness. There are winter and spring forms of white lupin. Duration of growing period under spring sowing varies from 106 to 180 days, seed mass per plant changes from 2.2 to 40 g, green mass yield per from 9 to 250 g, protein content in seed from 35.0 to 53.7%, and oil content from 6.2 to 12.0%.The beginning of the [http://lupins-bk.blogspot.com/2006/07/history-of-lupin-domestication.html history of lupin cultivation] in the Old World is often associated with the times of the ancient Egyptian civilization (Zhukovsky, 1929). It is, however, more likely (Kurlovich, 2002) that originally white lupin was introduced into cultivation in ancient Greece where its greatest biodiversity was concentrated and wild-growing forms have been preserved until nowadays (ssp. "graecus"). On the Balkan Peninsula representatives of another subspecies of white lupin (ssp. "termis" and ssp. "albus") turned wild and grows now in natural environments. Besides, the Grecian genesis of cultivated lupin is testified by lupin’s Greek name "termis", that may be translated as “ardent”. Until now, in may countries of the world water-soaked and boiled lupin seeds are sold on markets and in bars as delicacies (like sunflower seeds). White lupin dispersed step-by-step from Greece to adjacent countries, in particular, to Egypt and Ancient Rome. The forms with white seeds and pink-and-blue or light-pink flowers ("L. termis") spread mainly towards the south (Egypt, Libya and Palestine), while the forms with white seeds and grayish-blue or white flowers ("L. albus") moved to the west (Apennine Peninsula and farther).
The scheme of [http://lupindiversity.blogspot.com/2006/08/lupinus-albus-l-white-lupin.html classification] of "Lupinus albus" L.
#Subsp. "graecus" (Boiss. et Spun.) Franko et Silva
#Subsp. "termis" (Forsk.) Ponert.
##Var. "abissinicus" Libk.
##Var. "subroseus" Libk.
##Subsp. "albus" L.
#Var." albus"
#Var."vavilovii" (Atab.) Kurl. et Stankev.
#Var "vulgaris" Libk.
##f. "libkindae" Kurl. et Stankev.Cultivation and uses
According to Zohary and Hopf (123, 2000), "even today the white lupin is an appreciated food crop and it is still cultivated in some Mediterranean countries -- particularly Egypt." They list a number of archeological findsites that include
Bronze age Thera and a number of Roman Egypt sites.In the Iberian Peninsula it has been traditionally a poor man's food, as it can be read inLibro de los ejemplos del conde Lucanor y de Patronio . Nevertheless, it's still a very popular snack.References
* [http://personal.inet.fi/tiede/lupin/ Kurlovich B.S. (2002) Lupins. Geography, classification, genetic resources and breeding , St. Petersburg, “Intan”, 468p.]
*Gladstones, J.S. 1974. Lupinus of the Mediterranean region and Africa. Bull. West. Austr. Depart. of Agr. 1974. N 26. 48 p.
*Gladstones, J.S. 1998. Distribution, Origin, Taxonomy, History and Importance. In: J.S. Gladstones "et al." (eds.), Lupin as Crop Plants. Biology, Production and Utilization, 1-39.
*Zhukovsky, P.M. 1929. A contribution to the knowledge of genus Lupinus Tourn. Bull. Apll. Bot. Gen. Pl.-Breed. , Leningrad-Moscow, XXI, I:16-294.
*Zohary, D. and Hopf, M. (2000) "Domestication of plants in the Old World", third edition. Oxford: University Press.External links
* [http://plants.usda.gov/java/ClassificationServlet?source=profile&symbol=LUPIN&display=31 Classification for Kingdom Plantae Down to Species "Lupinus albus" L.]
*http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Lupinus+albus
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