Lupinus perennis (also Indian beet, Old maid's bonnets, Blue Lupine, and Sundial lupine) is a medicinal plant in the Fabaceae family. It is widespread in the eastern part of the USA (from Florida to Maine), Canada (south of Ontario), and on the coasts of the Arctic Ocean, where it grows on sand hills.
It derives only rosette-like radial leaves in the first year of vegetation. Stalks are numerous, erect, striated, slightly pubescent. Leaflets are obovate, with a blunted apex or pointed spear, naked from above, sparsely pubescent from below; their number is 7-11. Petioles are longer than leaflets; stipules are very small, almost missing.
The inflorescence is long, sparsely flowered, sometimes almost verticilate. Flowers can range from blue to pink, but are most often blue or bluish purple. The calyx is silky, without bractlets; its upper labium with a protuberant basis, is integral or weakly emarginate, the lower one is integral, almost twice longer than upper. Floral bracts are styliform, shorter than the calyx, early falling. The corolla is purple or white, three times longer than the calyx. The vexillum is shorter than the wings. The carina is weakly ciliate. Pods are yellow-grayish-brown, with straight lines, necklace-shaped, short and closely hirsute, easy shattered, with 5-6 seeds. Seed is oval with a light hilum.
