A tall flowering plant with colorful spikes of flowers, part of the legume family.
From Latin 'lupinus,' possibly from 'lupus' (wolf), as lupins were thought to deplete soil like wolves deplete flocks. The name may reflect an ancient misunderstanding of the plant's nitrogen-fixing properties.
Lupins were named after wolves because Romans thought they destroyed soil—but it's the opposite! Lupins actually enrich soil by fixing nitrogen. The name preserves an ancient agricultural misconception in botany.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.