Lupines contain some amounts of certain secondary compounds, including isoflavones and alkaloids such as lupine and sparteine which is removed through processing. Early detection means that lupines that contain these elements are not selected for food grade products.
Cross-allergenic of peanut and lupine: the risk of lupine allergy in patients allergic to peanuts. Most lupine reactions reported have been in people with peanut allergy. As of 2006 the European Commission requires food labels to indicate the presence of "lupine and products thereof" in food.
Consumed throughout the Mediterranean region and the Andean mountains, lupines were eaten by the early Egyptian and pre-Incan people and were known to Roman agriculturalists to contribute to the fertility of soils.
In the late eighteenth century lupines were introduced into northern Europe as a means of improving soil quality and by the 1860s the ‘Garden Yellow Lupine’ was seen across the sandy soils of the Baltic coastal plain.
Watson (1873) originally divided the genus Lupinus into three sections, Platycarpos, Lupinus, and Lupinellus, based on habitat and the number of ovules. Most of the species found in the Americas were assigned to Lupinus. Platycarpos consisted of some annuals with two ovules and two seeds (e.g., L. densiflorus, L. micricarpus), while Lupinellus had only one species (L. uncialis).
While Watson's work was predominantly based on study of North American species, the later research of Ascherson and Graebner (1907) was more global. They described two subgenera, Eulupinus and Platycarpos, using similar criteria. Most species fell into the subgenus Eulupinus, while Platycarpos included the annual species from the Eastern Hemisphere in Watson's classification.
A current schema retains this distinction, but uses the nomenclature for the subgenera of Platycarpos and Lupinus. In this schema, sub-genus Platycarpos (S.Wats.) Kurl. contains perennial and annual species from the Western Hemisphere, with a minimum two or more ovules or seed buds. Subgenus Lupinus consists of 12 species from Africa and the Mediterranean, with a minimum of 4 ovules or seed buds.
The first steps were taken in the early twentieth century to truly transform the lupine into a contemporary, domesticated cropping plant. Pioneered by German scientists, their goal was to cultivate a ‘sweet’ variety of lupine that didn't have the bitter taste (due to a mixture of alkaloids in the seed) making it more suitable for both human consumption and animal feed.
The successful development of lupine varieties with the necessary “sweet gene,” paved the way for the greater adoption of lupines across Europe and later Australia.
And further work carried out by the Western Australian Department of Agriculture and Food during the 1950’s and 60's now see more sweet lupine crops produced in Western Australia than anywhere else in the world.
The genus Lupinus L. and, in particular, its North-American species, were divided by Sereno Watson (1873) into three parts: Lupinus, Platycarpos, and Lupinnelus. Differences in habit and in the number of ovules were accepted as the basis for this classification. A majority of perennial and annual species from the American continent described by Watson were referred to Lupinus. To the Platycarpos section were attributed some annual species with two ovules in the ovary and two seeds in the pod (L. densiflorus, L. microcarpus, etc.). Section Lupinnelus consisted of one species (L. uncialis), with axillary and solitary flowers, scarcely reflexed banner, and also with two ovules in the ovary. Presently, the existence of such species seems doubtful.
This principle of classification was extended by Ascherson and Graebner (1907) to cover all lupins from the eastern and western hemispheres. Lupinus L. was for the first time subdivided into two subgenera: A. Eulupinus and B. Platycarpos (Ascherson and Graebner, 1907). Quantity of ovules (seedbuds) in the ovary and seeds in the pod was also accepted as the criterion for this division. Most of the described species from the eastern and western hemispheres were referred to subgen. A. Eulupinus. Subgen. B. Platycarposincluded several annual species from the eastern hemisphere with two seed-buds and seeds in the bean (the same species, as the one specified by S. Watson).
The taxonomy of Lupines has always been confusing. It is not clear how many distinct species there are or how they might be organized within the genus. The plants are variable and the taxa are not always distinct from one another. Some American taxa have been described as complexes rather than separate species. Estimates of the number of lupine species generally fall between 200 and 500. One authority places the estimate at approximately 267 species worldwide. There are currently two sub genera recognized.
Summary--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Common name---Lupin bean (Lupinus albus)
Species name---Lupinus albus
Genus name---Lupinus
Family name---Fabaceae
Symptoms---Allergenic similar to peanuts.
Treatments---If you are allergic, then there are shots in place to prevent symptoms.
Toxic parts---The bean itself is toxic.
Location of plant---Western Austrillia
Interesting facts---Over 500 sp
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