Arctic Lupine, Lupinus arcticus

What's in a Name?

Illustration: A.E. Porsild and W.J. Cody. (1980). Vascular Plants of Continental Northwest Territories, Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences.

The name Lupinus arcticus comes from the Latin "lupus", which means wolf, and the Greek "arktos", which means bear.

The reference to wolves is symbolic; early peoples thought that lupines destroy the soil, and named this plant after an animal they also believed to be destructive.

The bear reference alludes to the northern constellations known as the Greater and Lesser Bear.

A.k.a. Arctic lupine

Other important names to know

Lupinus arcticus belongs to the family Leguminosae, which is the third-largest family of flowering plants in the world. There are approximately 12 000 species in 600 genera within the family worldwide; roughly 50 species occur in Canada.