False Indigo Amorpha fruticosa

• Attributes:

  Genus:

  Amorpha

  Species:

  fruticosa

  Family:

  Fabaceae

  Life Cycle:

  Perennial

  Woody

  Recommended Propagation Strategy:

  Root Cutting

  Seed

  Stem Cutting

  Country Or Region Of Origin:

  Southern United States

  Distribution:

  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, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WV, WY

  Wildlife Value:

  Flowers attract butterflies, nectar-bees, and nectar insects. Foliage browsed by small mammals.

  Play Value:

  Attractive Flowers

  Attracts Pollinators

  Easy to Grow

  Fragrance

  Textural

  Wildlife Food Source

  Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):

  poor and dry soil, tolerate poor site conditions

  Edibility:

  Not edible

  Dimensions:

  Height: 4 ft. 0 in. - 12 ft. 0 in.

  Width: 6 ft. 0 in. - 15 ft. 0 in.

• Whole Plant Traits:

  Plant Type:

  Native Plant

  Shrub

  Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:

  Deciduous

  Habit/Form:

  Dense

  Horizontal

  Spreading

  Growth Rate:

  Medium

  Maintenance:

  Low

  Texture:

  Coarse

• Cultural Conditions:

  Light:

  Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)

  Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)

  Soil Texture:

  Clay

  High Organic Matter

  Loam (Silt)

  Soil Drainage:

  Moist

  Occasionally Wet

  Available Space To Plant:

  12-24 feet

  NC Region:

  Coastal

  Mountains

  Piedmont

  USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:

  4a, 4b, 5b, 5a, 6b, 6a, 7b, 7a, 8a, 8b, 9b, 9a

• Fruit:

  Fruit Color:

  Brown/Copper

  Fruit Value To Gardener:

  Showy

  Display/Harvest Time:

  Fall

  Summer

  Fruit Length:

  < 1 inch

  Fruit Width:

  < 1 inch

  Fruit Description:

  Small, warty, kidney-shaped seed pods

• Flowers:

  Flower Color:

  Blue

  Gold/Yellow

  Purple/Lavender

  Flower Inflorescence:

  Raceme

  Flower Value To Gardener:

  Fragrant

  Showy

  Flower Bloom Time:

  Spring

  Summer

  Flower Shape:

  Tubular

  Flower Size:

  3-6 inches

  Flower Description:

  This plant has narrow, 8 to 20 in. racemes of dense, clusters of deep purple or blue flowers with gold stamens in summer. Each flower has a single petal. The blooming period is 2-3 weeks.

• Leaves:

  Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:

  Deciduous

  Leaf Color:

  Gray/Silver

  Green

  Leaf Feel:

  Velvety

  Leaf Value To Gardener:

  Fragrant

  Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:

  Gold/Yellow

  Leaf Type:

  Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)

  Leaf Arrangement:

  Alternate

  Leaf Shape:

  Elliptical

  Oblong

  Ovate

  Leaf Margin:

  Entire

  Hairs Present:

  No

  Leaf Length:

  1-3 inches

  Leaf Width:

  < 1 inch

  Leaf Description:

  The leaves dull gray-green. Each contains 11 to 35 spiny-tipped leaflets with toothless margins. The leaflets are elliptic to oval in shape. They turn a modest yellow in the fall (fall color). The underside of the leaves has a velvety feel.

• Bark:

  Bark Color:

  Dark Gray

  Light Gray

  Surface/Attachment:

  Lenticels

  Bark Description:

  Relatively smooth, scattered lenticels.

• Stem:

  Stem Color:

  Green

  Stem Is Aromatic:

  No

  Stem Description:

  Multi-stemmed. The lower stems are woody. Upper stems are dull green.

• Landscape:

  Landscape Location:

  Meadow

  Naturalized Area

  Pond

  Riparian

  Slope/Bank

  Woodland

  Landscape Theme:

  Butterfly Garden

  Native Garden

  Water Garden

  Design Feature:

  Barrier

  Border

  Hedge

  Mass Planting

  Screen/Privacy

  Small groups

  Attracts:

  Butterflies

  Resistance To Challenges:

  Dry Soil

  Poor Soil

  Problems:

  Invasive Species