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Amorpha fruticosa L.  
Family: Fabaceae
false indigo bush
[Amorpha angustifolia F.E.Boynton, moreAmorpha bushii Rydb., Amorpha croceolanata Watson, Amorpha curtissii Rydb., Amorpha dewinkeleri Small, Amorpha fruticosa var. angustifolia Pursh, Amorpha fruticosa var. croceolanata (Watson)Mouill., Amorpha fruticosa var. emarginata Pursh, Amorpha fruticosa var. oblongifolia E.J.Palmer, Amorpha fruticosa var. occidentalis (Abrams)Kearney & Peebles, Amorpha fruticosa var. tennesseensis (Kunze)E.J.Palmer, Amorpha occidentalis Abrams, Amorpha occidentalis var. arizonica (Rydb.)E.J.Palmer, Amorpha occidentalis var. emarginata E.J.Palmer, Amorpha tennesseensis Kunze, Amorpha virgata Small]
Amorpha fruticosa image
Sky Jacobs  
  • Gleason & Cronquist
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Vascular plants of NE US and adjacent Canada
Branching shrub to 4 m; foliage not blackening in drying; petioles 2-5 cm; lfls 4-10+ pairs, green but not shining, 2-4 cm, usually sparsely short-hairy beneath; petiolules almost always pubescent; racemes (1)2-several, 6-20 cm; cal-tube 2-3 mm, the upper 4 lobes 0.5 mm, broadly triangular to half-orbicular, the lowest one somewhat longer and narrower; banner 5-6 mm; fr 5-9 נ2-4.5 mm, strongly glandular, the upper margin usually strongly bulged upward; 2n=40. Moist woods and stream-banks; N.H. to Minn. and s. Sask., s. to Fla., Tex., s. Calif., and n. Mex. May, June. Variable, but not clearly divisible. (A. croceolanata, a southern phase with loose, often tawny or orange pubescence)

Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

©The New York Botanical Garden. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Benson and Darrow 1981, Kearney and Peebles 1969
Common Name: false indigo bush Duration: Perennial Nativity: Native Lifeform: Shrub Wetland Status: FACW General: Shrub, reaches up to 4 m tall, often found along watercourses, short-pubescent herbage, the hairs appressed; bark grayish in color. Leaves: Alternate along stem, pinnately compound, 7-20 cm long, with 11-21 leaflets oblong to obovate, glabrate, each 1.5-5 cm long, dark green above, lighter green below with slight pubescence along the veins. Flowers: Racemose, fairly dense in nearly spikelike inflorescence up to 20 cm long, 1.5-5 cm wide, bearing many flowers; sepals canescent to almost glabrous, 3-4 mm long, upper two larger and broader at rounded apices, other sepals acute; petals dark blue to purple, to 5 mm long. Fruits: Pods slightly exceeding the calyx, 5-7 mm long, gland-dotted, glabrous. Ecology: Canyons and along streambanks from 2,000-6,000 ft (610-1829 m); flowers May-July. Notes: When flowering, this is an easily identifiable plant, otherwise pay attention to the leaves and its habitat. Ethnobotany: Stems used for bedding material, for arrows, and as a way to cover the ground to keep meat clean while butchering. Etymology: Amorpha comes from the Greek word amorphos for deformed, while fruticosa comes from Latin frutex, meaning shrubby or bushy. Synonyms: Many, see Tropicos Editor: SBuckley, 2010
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Amorpha fruticosa
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Amorpha fruticosa image
Paul Rothrock  
Amorpha fruticosa image
L. R. Landrum  
Amorpha fruticosa image
Patrick Alexander  
Amorpha fruticosa image
Max Licher  
Amorpha fruticosa image
Max Licher  
Amorpha fruticosa image
Max Licher  
Amorpha fruticosa image
Max Licher  
Amorpha fruticosa image
Patrick Alexander  
Amorpha fruticosa image
Patrick Alexander  
Amorpha fruticosa image
Patrick Alexander  
Amorpha fruticosa image
Morton Arboretum  
Amorpha fruticosa image
Morton Arboretum  
Amorpha fruticosa image
Amorpha fruticosa image
Amorpha fruticosa image
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