Lupinus hispanicus

Fabaceae. An annual endemic to the Iberian Peninsula and northern Morocco, where it grows in dry grasslands, fallow lands, and roadsides on poor, sandy or loamy soils, acidic to neutral, in full sun. It is particularly represented in the center and west of the peninsula.

The plant is upright, sparsely branched, generally reaching 30 to 60 cm in height. The leaves are palmate, with oblong to spatulate leaflets, medium green, slightly pubescent. The habit is slender and simple, dominated by the terminal floral spike which constitutes the main silhouette of the plant.

The flowers are a soft lilac pink to mauve pink, sometimes slightly bicolored, with the still closed buds presenting a paler, almost whitish hue. This pinkish coloration, unusual in the genus for a wild Mediterranean species, is the most distinctive feature of the species. In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from April to June.

A species not widely cultivated, it deserves a place in Mediterranean naturalistic gardens on well-drained, poor soil, sown in place in spring. Like all lupins, it enriches the soil with nitrogen through its symbiotic root nodules.