Weeds of Australia - Fact Sheet

Top Scientific Name Synonyms Family Common Names Origin Naturalised Distribution Notes

Scientific Name

Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl.

Synonyms

Lupinus 'Russell Hybrid' (misapplied)

Family

Fabaceae (Queensland, the ACT, Victoria, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory)
Fabaceae: sub-family Faboideae (New South Wales)
Leguminosae (South Australia)
Papilionaceae (Western Australia)

Common Names

bigleaf lupine, common lupine, garden lupin, large-leaf lupin, large-leaved lupin, lupin, marsh lupine, Russell lupin, streamside lupine, Washington lupin

Origin

Native to the temperate regions of North America (i.e. Alaska, western Canada and western USA).

Naturalised Distribution

Naturalised in the cooler temperate regions of south-eastern Australia (i.e. in the southern tablelands region of New South Wales and the highland regions of north-eastern Victoria). Also sparingly naturalised in south-eastern South Australia and possibly naturalised in Tasmania.

Naturalised overseas in eastern Canada, Europe (i.e. Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and western Russia) and New Zealand.

Notes

Russell lupin (Lupinus polyphyllus) is regarded as an environmental weed in Victoria and as a potential environmental weed or "sleeper weed" in other parts of southern Australia. This species is becoming widespread throughout the alpine regions of Victoria and New South Wales, from Falls Creek to Kosciuszko National Park and Cabramurra. It is particularly common in the Snowy Mountains area in southern New South Wales.

Russell lupin (Lupinus polyphyllus) is very widespread on the South Island of New Zealand and was recently added to the Global Invasive Species Database. It has the potential to become a weed of river beds and riparian habitats in the cooler temperate and alpine areas of Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania.

Note: Though Lupinus polyphyllus is usually called by the common name "Russell lupin" it is actually a different plant than the true Russell lupin (i.e. Lupinus x regalis), which is a horticultural hybrid involving Lupinus arboreus and Lupinus polyphyllus. This cultivated hybrid differs by having rather dense clusters of flowers in a wider range of colours (i.e. yellow, orange and red as well as blue, purple, pink, white).