Lupinus

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A flowering plant belonging to the legume family, recognized for its erect spikes of colorful blooms
2. A genus of plants that are often cultivated for their attractive flowers and ability to improve soil quality
3. The various species within this group are commonly found in temperate and subtropical regions, adding beauty to gardens and landscapes

Etymology: Lupinus is the Latin name for the lupin plant, and the Romans gave it that name because of a belief about its effect on soil. Pliny and other classical writers described the plant as "lupinus," a word related to "lupus," meaning wolf, and the usual explanation is that the plant was thought to devour or wolf down the nutrients in the ground. The idea is a folk notion rather than a sound botanical account, and the name is best read as a Roman metaphor, not a precise description. Modern botanists adopted the Latin word as the genus name, so every lupin, from the blue-spiked garden varieties to the wild species of meadows and hillsides, belongs to the same scientific family. The Latin word also gave English its common name "lupin," which entered the language as a borrowing directly from the Latin form rather than through French. The plant itself is a legume, and its roots host nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which is why farmers have long grown lupins to enrich poor soil. That practical fact is the reverse of the Roman image: the plant that was thought to starve the ground in fact helps to restore it.

Synonyms: lupine