Cox, Paul
Amorpha fruticosa L.
Indigo bush, False indigo bush, False indigo, Desert false indigo
Fabaceae (Pea Family)
False indigo-bush is a 6-10 ft., loose, airy
shrub which often forms dense thickets. Plants develop a leggy character with the majority of their pinnately
compound, fine-textured foliage on the upper third of the plant. Leaflets velvety on the lower surface, margins frequently almost
parallel, often abruptly rounded at both ends and with a notch at the tip. Flowers small, purple to dark blue with yellow
stamens extending beyond the single
petal, crowded in narrow, 3-6 in., spikelike clusters at or near the ends of the branchlets, appearing from April to June.
Fruit small, up to 3/8 inch long and with blisterlike glands visible under a 10x hand lens. This is a
deciduous plant.
This
shrub, which often forms thickets on riverbanks and islands, can be weedy or invasive in the northeast. Another False Indigo (
A. herbacea) has whitish to blue-violet flowers in fan-like masses on top of the plant and gray-downy foliage with up to 40 leaflets. The
genus name, from the Greek amorphos (formless or deformed), alludes to the fact that the flower, with only a single
petal (the banner or standard), is unlike the typical pea flowers of the family.
Image Gallery:
18 photo(s) available
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: Orange , Blue , Purple , Violet
Bloom Time: Apr , May , Jun
Bloom Notes: Corolla deep violet-purple, anthers orange,
style purplish.
Distribution
USA: AL , AZ , AR , CA , CO , CT , DE , FL , GA , ID , IL , IN , IA , KS , KY , LA , ME , MD , MA , MI , MN , MS , MO , NE , NH , NJ , NM , NY , NC , ND , OH , OK , OR , PA , RI , SC , SD , TN , TX , UT , VT , VA , WA , WV , WI , WY , DC
Canada: MB ,
ON Native Distribution: NJ to s.e. WI, MN, Sask. & WY, s. to FL, TX & n. Mex.,S. CA to NM & adjacent Mex.
Native Habitat: Stream & pond edges; gravel bars, open woods; roadsides, canyons.
USDA Native Status: L48(N), CAN(N) Growing Conditions
Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist
CaCO3 Tolerance: Medium
Aquatic: yes
Cold Tolerant: yes
Soil Description: Moist soils to dry sands. pH adaptable. Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam, Clay Loam, Clay, Acid-based, Calcareous.
Benefit
Use Ornamental: Fast growing, Attractive, Blooms ornamental, Bog or pond area, Water garden
Use Wildlife: Nectar-bees, Nectar-butterflies, Nectar-insects, Browse.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Fragrant Flowers: yes
Fragrant Foliage: yes
Attracts: Butterflies
Larval Host: California & southern dogfaces, Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus), Gray hairstreak, Hoary edge skipper.
Deer Resistant: High
Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)
Amorpha fruticosa is a larval host and/or nectar source for:
Last Update: 2012-12-07
