NAT. ORDER. LEGUMINOSE.-E. 
129 
It is said by Pliny and other Latin writers, that this plant de- 
rived its name from Lupus, a wolf, on account of its being supposed, 
to destroy the fertility of the soil ; or rather as Virgil calls it, lupines 
tristes lupini, the bitterness of this plant, contracting the muscles, 
and giving a sorrowful appearance to the countenance, 
There are recorded sixty-two different species of the Lupinus, 
all shrubs or flowers, and only valuable as a garden ornament. Most 
of the plants are annuals, but the present one is a perennial ; there- 
fore the term perennis will be strictly applicable to the present plant. 
One peculiar feature in this plant is that the roots strike very deep 
in the ground ; even those belonging to a plant one year old I have 
seen to the depth of three and four feet : they also spread remark- 
ably wide ; hence the roots even of young plants are with difficulty 
taken up entire. 
Propagation and Culture. Every species of Lupine are worth 
cultivating for the purpose of decorating flower-borders, as they are 
very ornamental when in flower ; they thrive best in light soil, and 
are most easily increased by seeds. The shrubby kinds require to 
be protected in severe weather in winter by a glass covering, or by 
matting. If they are grown against a wall, they can be easily shel- 
tered in winter. Cuttings of them root very readily. 
Medical Properties and Uses. No account worthy of notice has 
ever been recorded of the medicinal virtues of this plant; and, in- 
deed, all the species seem to be regarded as of no value in medicine. 
