false indigo

Amorpha
Desert false indigo (Amorpha fruticosa)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Fabales Family: Fabaceae Subfamily: Faboideae Genus: Amorpha L.
Species
See text.

Amorpha is a genus of plants in the pea family Fabaceae. All the species are native to North America, from southern Canada, most of the United States, and northern Mexico. They are commonly known as false indigo. The name Amorpha means "deformed" in Greek and was given because flowers of this genus only have one petal, unlike the usual "pea-shaped" flowers of the Faboideae subfamily. Amorpha is missing the wing and keel petals.^[1]

Flowers

The desert false indigo, or indigo bush, Amorpha fruticosa, is a shrub that grows from 3 m to 5 m tall. It is an invasive plant that has spread throughout the United States and has been introduced to central and southern Europe.

The lead plant (A. canescens) is a North American prairie forb. This bushy shrub is an important native prairie legume. Lead plant is often associated with bluestem grasses. Native Americans used the dried leaves for pipe smoking and for tea.

Amorpha species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Schinia lucens, which feeds exclusively on the genus.

Species

• Amorpha apiculata
• Amorpha californica - California false indigo, mock locust
• Amorpha canescens - leadplant
• Amorpha crenulata
• Amorpha fruticosa - desert false indigo
• Amorpha georgiana - Georgia false indigo
• Amorpha glabra - mountain false indigo
• Amorpha herbacea - clusterspike false indigo
• Amorpha laevigata - smooth false indigo
• Amorpha nana - dwarf false indigo
• Amorpha nitens - shining false indigo
• Amorpha notha
• Amorpha ouachitensis - Ouachita false indigo
• Amorpha paniculata - panicled false indigo
• Amorpha roemeriana - Roemer's false indigo
• Amorpha schwerinii - Schwerin's false indigo

References

• USDA plants database
• ILDIS version 10.01