Lupine
Lupinus spp.
- Plant type
- forb
- Settings
- Rangeland
- Risk
- High risk Our rating from the cited sources.
- Review
- Not yet reviewed by a veterinarian.
Photos
Planned.
How to tell it
Leaves made of several leaflets spreading from one central point; flowers usually blue, also white, pink or yellow; 1 to 3 ft tall (ARS).
Look-alikes: Planned.
What to do on a site walk
- Limit time.
- Keep hungry goats off dense stands at seed stage.
Why it matters
- Toxic principle
- Quinolizidine alkaloids
- Toxic parts
- Seeds and pods highest; young plants
- Basis for our rating
- Chewgrass rating. ARS: seeds and pods have killed sheep. Cornell and Merck list goats.
Signs in goats
Nervousness, frothing, labored breathing, twitching, loss of muscle control, convulsions. Some species cause birth defects in calves when cows eat them early in pregnancy (ARS).
If you think an animal has been poisoned, call your vet right away.
Season
Toxic from spring growth until pods shatter; late summer seed stage is the most dangerous (ARS).
Sources
Links last checked: 2026-10-31