Amorpha fruiticosa
(Bastard Indigo)
Common Names, Latin Name and Family
Some of its common names include bastard indigo, bastard false indigo, indigo bush, false indigo bush, false indigo, and desert false indigo.
It’s Latin name is Amorpha fruticosa.
In the Fabaceae, or bean, family.
Form
It is a woody shrub that can grow to a height of fifteen feet.
Leaves
The leaves are alternate and are pinnately compound.
The leaflet’s margins are entire with short stalks.
They are linear to elliptic in shape.
Flowers
The flowers are born in long racemes and appear in the spring and summer.
The petals are a deep purple and the anthers are a bright yellow making for an unusual looking flower.
Habitat
It occurs naturally in riparian areas, and open wet forests.
Native Range
It occurs naturally throughout most of the state of Florida with the exception of a few counties directly in the middle of the state.
It is native to the following states: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, and WY.
Landscape Use
In the home landscape it can be grown in full sun to part shade with average to moist soils.
If grown in too much shade it will become lanky and grow extremely tall reaching for sunlight so it’s best to plant it in full sun.
Wildlife Use
The flowers attract many pollinators including bees and butterflies.
The seeds are eaten by some songbirds and other wildlife.
Propagation
It can be grown from seed or transplants.
When transplanting specimens be sure to remove any fruit, or flowers, so that the plant can recover more quickly. If you leave fruit, and flowers, the transplant will struggle to keep those alive rather than focus on growing new roots so your plant has a better chance of surviving the move.