Amorpha fruticosa L.

  • Family

    Fabaceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Amorpha fruticosa L.

  • Common Names

    desert false indigo, false indigo, indigobush, desert indigobush, false indigo-bush, leadplant, dullleaf indigo, desert false indigo

  • Description

    Distribution: Throughout eastern Canada, northern Mexico, and most of the continental United States, but it is probably naturalized in western areas. It 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 escapees.

    Description: Glandular, thornless shrub which can reach 5 or 6 meters 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.

    Uses: Resinous pustules on the plant contain amorpha, a contact and stomachic insecticide that also acts as an insect repellant (Huxley 1992). Desert false indigo also contains some indigo pigment that can be used to make blue dye. [References: Huxley, A.1992. The new RHS dictionary of gardening. MacMillian Press, New York, New York.]

  • Floras and Monographs

    Amorpha fruticosa L.: [Book] Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.