Native Plants

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Monday - June 25, 2007

From: South Paris, ME
Region: Northeast
Topic: Propagation
Title: Crossbreedding of Lupinus polyphyllus and L. perennis
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Hello, can Lupinus polyphyllus and L. perennis crossbreed? I have both and want to keep perennis genetically pure, is the only way to do this is to get rid of the polyphyllus?

ANSWER:

Lupinus polyphyllus (bigleaf lupine) would be very likely to crossbreed with Lupinus perennis (sundial lupine) since it has been used in England since the late 18th century to produce hybrids by crossing it with many other species of Lupinus. Unless you are interested in experimenting with making hybrids, your best bet is to remove the P. polyphyllus.

Lupinus polyphyllus