False Indigo
Amorpha fruticosa
Summary 6
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 native to North America.
Description 6
It grows as a glandular, thornless shrub which can reach 5 or 6 m (16 or 20 ft) in height and spread to twice that in width. It is somewhat variable in morphology. The leaves are made up of many hairy, oval-shaped, spine-tipped leaflets. The inflorescence is a spike-shaped raceme of many flowers, each with a single purple petal and ten protruding stamens with yellow anthers. The fruit is a legume pod containing one or two seeds.
Distribution and Habitat 7
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.[citation needed] The species is also present as an introduced species in Europe, Asia, and other continents. It is often cultivated as an ornamental plant, and some wild populations may be descended from garden escapes.
Ecology/Wildlife Use 7
It is a larval host to the clouded sulphur, gray hairstreak, hoary edge, Io moth, marine blue, silver-spotted skipper, and southern dogface.
Read More 8
- https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=AMFR
- http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=280343
- https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/trees/plants/false_indigo.htm
Sources and Credits
- AnRo0002, no known copyright restrictions (public domain), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20170717Amorpha_fruticosa4.jpg
- Jim Conrad, no known copyright restrictions (public domain), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amorpha_fruticosa-flowers.jpg
- AnRo0002, no known copyright restrictions (public domain), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20200902Amorpha_fruticosa1.jpg
- AnRo0002, no known copyright restrictions (public domain), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20130702Amorpha_fruticosa1.jpg
- (c) Gmihail, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amorfr.jpg
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amorpha_fruticosa
- Adapted by Lauren LeCroy May from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amorpha_fruticosa
- (c) Lauren LeCroy May, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
More Info
- iNat taxon page
- Biodiversity Heritage Library
- BOLD Systems BIN search
- Calflora
- CalPhotos
- eFloras.org
- Flora of North America (beta)
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
- Go Botany
- HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
- IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
- Jepson eFlora
- Maryland Biodiversity Project
- NatureServe Explorer 2.0
- NBN Atlas
- Ontario Trees
- OregonFlora.org
- SEINet Symbiota portals
- Tropicos
- USDA PLANTS database
- VASCAN by Canadensys
- World Flora Online
- 日本のレッドデータ検索システム
- 植物和名−学名インデックス YList
iNat Map
| Form | Shrub |
|---|---|
| Light | Full sun, Part sun |
| Soil moisture | Dry, Medium, Wet |
| Site | Meadow, Savanna, Wetland |
| Bloom period | April, May, June |
| Bloom color | Orange, Purple/violet, Multi |
| Fruit/seeds/etc. | Pods |
| Wildlife supported | Insects - pollinators |
| Family | Legumes |
