Bastard Indiobush (MatBio: TREES & SHRUBS - Matanzas Biodiversity)

Bastard Indiobush

Amorpha fruticosa

Summary ⁷

Amorpha fruticosa is a species of flowering plant in the legume family (Fabaceae) known by several common names, including desert false indigo, false indigo-bush, and bastard indigobush. It is found wild in most of the contiguous United States, southeastern Canada, and northern Mexico, but it is probably naturalized in the northeastern and northwestern portion of its current range. The species is also present as an introduced species in Europe, Asia, and other continents. It is often...

Comments ⁸

False Indigo looks like a Leadplant (Amorpha canescens) on steroids. It is taller than the latter shrub and its leaflets are larger in size. In southern Illinois and other southern regions, there is some variability in the size, shape, and hairiness of the leaflets. As a result, different varieties of False Indigo have been described, but most of them are rare in Illinois; only the typical variety is occasional throughout the state. Another shrub with a similar appearance, Amorpha nitens (Shiny False Indigo), has shiny leaflets that are hairless (or nearly so). This rare shrub can be found in southern Illinois, but it is absent from the rest of the state. Other common names of Amorpha fruticosa are Indigo Bush and River Locust.