I went out this afternoon for the first survey of 2024 for Scrub Lupine seedlings.
So far, only about half a dozen seedlings have emerged, mostly in the second planting area and generally on the periphery.
I have removed all of the old flags from previous years so there is no confusion about the current distribution. The numbered disks remain in the ground.
The most recent planting area, which still contains some adult plants that may produce more seeds this spring, was notable by the absence so far of seedlings, The area is extremely overgrown, shaded and covered with leaf litter, the last of which is the only issue over I have any control at the moment.
The ground is more intensively covered with spike moss than it was when the original plantings occurred. I am not sure how that affects seedling emergence.
Meanwhile, data submitted to iNaturalist indicates there has been a proposed split among Florida lupine species that includes the determination that Lupinus aridorum is now considered a separate species and not a subspecies of L. westianus, which is found in the Florida Panhandle and adjacent areas of the Southeast.
I have not seen a paper redescribing the species and do not know whether the change is being accepted.
