Amorpha fruticosa L.

Tall Indigo Bush; Bastard Indigo; False Indigo

Shrub

Perennial

Vascular

Tall Indigo Bush is a native deciduous shrub in the Bean family (Fabaceae). It can be found throughout Alabama. Tall Indigo Bush occurs along streams and rivers, in floodplain forests, in low woodlands, and around the edges of marshes. It is usually a sparsely branched shrub from 3-12 feet in height. The bark is light brown and smooth with prominent small round lenticels. Leaves are petiolate, odd-pinnately compound with 9-35 short stalked leaflets. Young leaves and stems are silky pubescent while older leaves vary in the amount of pubescence they retain. Leaflets are oblong to elliptic in outline with entire margins. Leaflet shape and amount of pubescence varies widely between individuals. Leaflets on some plants are glaucous or glandular punctate below. The flowers are produced in terminal panicles of spike-like racemes. The corolla consists of a single petal (the standard) that wraps around the stamens and style in a tubular fashion. The corolla is deep velvety purple. The 10 stamens extend beyond the petal and the anthers are bright golden-yellow. The fruit is a one-seeded indehiscent legume. The legume usually has conspicuous resinous glands on its surface. Tall Indigo Bush foliage is a larval food plant for Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus) and Southern Dogface Sulfur (Colias cesonia) butterflies and the Black-spotted Prominent moth (Dasylophia anguina). Tall Indigo Bush is sometimes available from nurseries. It prefers a moist to average soil in full sun or light shade. Plants are tolerant of flooding and nutrient poor soils. Prune plants during the winter to improve their shape and increase flowering.--A. Diamond

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Native FACW (NWPL) G5 (Global Rank)

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