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Native Plant Society of Texas

False Indigo Bush

Amorpha fruticosa

Indigo Bush, False Indigo, Desert False Indigo

Photo Credit: Claire Sorenson
Photo Credit: Claire Sorenson
Photo Credit: Paul Montgomery
Photo Credit: Paul Montgomery
Photo Credit: Claire Sorenson
Photo Credit: Claire Sorenson
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Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map (hover for ecoregion names)

Native Habitat: Woodland, Wetland or Riparian
Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Texas Blackland Prairies

Maintenance

Fast growing, attractive, ornamental blooms, good choice for water gardens.

Comments

False Indigo Bush is a loose, airy shrub which often forms dense thickets. The compound leaves are velvety and the flowers are small, purple to dark blue with yellow stamens growing on long spikes. Larval Host: Silver-spotted Skipper, Southern Dogface, California Dogface, Gray Hairstreak, Hoary Edge.

Growth Form

Shrub

Height

6 to
12 ft

Spread

6 to
12 ft

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Loam, Clay, Calcareous, Moist, Dry

Light Requirement

Sun, Part Shade

Water Requirement

Low

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Bloom Color

Blue, Purple

Bloom Season

Spring

Seasonal Interest

Seeds, Nectar, Larval Host, Flowers

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Birds, Hummingbirds, Moths, Bees

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Previous Scientific Name(s): Synonym/s: Amorpha angustifolia, Amorpha bushii, Amorpha croceolanata, Amorpha curtissii, Amorpha dewinkeleri, Amorpha fruticosa var. angustifolia, Amorpha fruticosa var. croceolanata, Amorpha fruticosa var. emarginata, Amorpha fruticosa var. oblongifolia, Amorpha fruticosa var. occidentalis, Amorpha fruticosa var. tennesseensis, Amorpha occidentalis, Amorpha occidentalis var. arizonica, Amorpha occidentalis var. emarginata, Amorpha tennesseensis, Amorpha virgata

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=AMFR. 3) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Amorpha+fruticosa&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 4) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=10348&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 5) Miller, George O., Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas 2nd Ed., 2013, pg 48. 6) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg. 230. 7) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=25368#null

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State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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