Lupinus angustifolius

Lupinus angustifolius, Wild lupin, Narrow-leaved lupin,
Hebrew: תורמוס צר-עלים, Arabic: الترمس الضيق الأوراق

Scientific name:   Lupinus angustifolius L.
Common name:   Wild lupin, Narrow-leaved lupin
Hebrew name:   תורמוס צר-עלים
Arabic name:   الترمس الضيق الأوراق
Family:   Papilionaceae, פרפרניים


Life form:   Therophyte, annual
Stems:   20-80 cm high
Leaves:   Alternate, compound, digitate, leaflets linear to linear-spathulate, glabrous above, sparsely villous beneath
inflorescence:   Racemes 10-20 cm, flowers alternate
Flowers:   Dark blue, violet; peduncle1-3 cm
Fruits / pods:   Legume shortly hirsute; seeds 4-6, ellipsoid
Flowering Period:   March, April
Habitat:   Batha, Phrygana
Distribution:   Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands, Montane vegetation of Mt. Hermon
Chorotype:   Mediterranean
Summer shedding:   Ephemeral
Protected Flower, צמח מוגן:   Yes


Location: Bene Zion Nature Reserve

Derivation of the botanical name:

Lupinus, Latin lupus, “wolf,” alluding to the belief that these plants destroyed the fertility of the soil, which is the oppposite of the truth; the seeds are eaten in eastern Mediterranean countries.

angustifolius, narrow-leaved.
The Hebrew name: תורמוס, turmos, from Greek: thermos (= Lupinus albus), which is probably identical with thermos (= warm, hot), which is related to therme (=heat).

  • The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.