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False Indigo Bush

Amorpha fruticosa

Other common name(s):

Indigo Bush, False Indigo, Desert False Indigo

Family:

Fabaceae (Pea Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Chihuahuan Deserts, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Southern Texas Plains, Southwestern Tablelands, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Low Mountains and Bajadas
Carbonate Cross Timbers, Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland
Lower Rio Grande Alluvial Floodplain, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies
Northern Nueces Alluvial Plains, Semiarid Edwards Bajada
Canadian/Cimarron Breaks, Caprock Canyons Badlands Breaks, Flat Tablelands and Valleys
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Southern Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Shrub

Height

6
to
12
ft.

Spread

6
to
12
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Loam, Clay, Calcareous, Moist, Dry

Light Requirement

Sun, Part Shade

Water Requirement

Low

Native Habitat

Woodland, Wetland or Riparian

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

Blue, Purple

Bloom Season

Spring

Seasonal Interest

Seeds, Nectar, Larval Host, Flowers

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Birds, Hummingbirds, Moths, Bees

Maintenance

Fast growing, attractive, ornamental blooms, good choice for water gardens. Propagation Seed, Softwood cuttings, Hardwood cuttings.

Comments

Blooms April-June. 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.
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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Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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