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Amorpha fruticosa is often confused with:
Amorpha herbacea Amorpha herbacea
Plants that fill a similar niche:
Acer saccharinum From
Cornus amomum Cornus amomum
Viola pedata Viola pedata

Indigo Bush Amorpha fruticosa

Phonetic Spelling
ah-MOR-fah froo-tih-KOH-sah
Description

False Indigo is a deciduous native shrub in the Fabaceae (bean) family.  It is typically found growing in moist open woodlands, roadsides, canyons, floodplains, gravel bars, stream and pond banks, and along swamp edges. The genus name Amorpha is Greek meaning "formless or deformed" and refers to the flowers which having only one petal are very different from other members of the pea family.

Plant in the full sun to partial shade moist to dry soil. It is tolerant of a large range of soil types including wet ones.  

The pinnately compound leaves are clustered on the upper third of the plant and give it a fine texture and an airy appearance. It spreads easily by seeds and suckers, and can form dense thickets. The horizontal growth creates a situation where its spread will often be greater than its height.  

Use this plant in a woodland or bog garden, along a pond margin or stream bank. It looks best when grouped in mass plantings.

Insects, Diseases and Other Plant Problems: Typically has no serious disease or insect issues. Leaf spot, powdery mildew, rust, and twig canker are diseases that may have some effect on the plants' overall health. 

VIDEO created by Grant L. Thompson for “Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines for Landscaping” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Horticulture at Iowa State University.

Profile Video:
See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
  • 'Albiflora'
    White flowers
  • 'Coerulea'
    Pale blue flowers
  • 'Crispa'
    Leaflets crinkled
  • 'Dark Lance'
    Rich green globular plant with pruple flowers that subtend golden brown filaments.
  • 'Lewisii'
    Large flowers
  • 'Pendula'
    Arching branches form a dome shape
'Albiflora', 'Coerulea', 'Crispa', 'Dark Lance', 'Lewisii', 'Pendula'
Tags:
#purple#gold#showy flowers#deciduous#full sun tolerant#rain garden#fragrant flowers#shrub#purple flowers#bright green#deciduous shrub#nectar plant#native shrub#yellow leaves#fall interest#mass planting#stream banks#pond margins#fast growing#NC native#gold flowers#deer resistant#thickets#skipper butterflies#native garden#frost tolerant#Hoary edge butterfly#pollinator plant#poor soils tolerant#larval host plant#sandy soils tolerant#wet soils tolerant#dry soils tolerant#butterfly friendly#bee friendly#roadside#gray hairstreak butterfly#weed#landscape plant sleuths course#boggy sites#stormwater garden#woodland
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
  • 'Albiflora'
    White flowers
  • 'Coerulea'
    Pale blue flowers
  • 'Crispa'
    Leaflets crinkled
  • 'Dark Lance'
    Rich green globular plant with pruple flowers that subtend golden brown filaments.
  • 'Lewisii'
    Large flowers
  • 'Pendula'
    Arching branches form a dome shape
'Albiflora', 'Coerulea', 'Crispa', 'Dark Lance', 'Lewisii', 'Pendula'
Tags:
#purple#gold#showy flowers#deciduous#full sun tolerant#rain garden#fragrant flowers#shrub#purple flowers#bright green#deciduous shrub#nectar plant#native shrub#yellow leaves#fall interest#mass planting#stream banks#pond margins#fast growing#NC native#gold flowers#deer resistant#thickets#skipper butterflies#native garden#frost tolerant#Hoary edge butterfly#pollinator plant#poor soils tolerant#larval host plant#sandy soils tolerant#wet soils tolerant#dry soils tolerant#butterfly friendly#bee friendly#roadside#gray hairstreak butterfly#weed#landscape plant sleuths course#boggy sites#stormwater garden#woodland
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Amorpha
    Species:
    fruticosa
    Family:
    Fabaceae
    Life Cycle:
    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 other pollinator insects. It is a larval host for the California & southern dogfaces, Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus), Gray hairstreak, Hoary edge skipper. 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. - 15 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:
    Rapid
    Maintenance:
    Low
    Texture:
    Fine
  • 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)
    Sand
    Soil pH:
    Acid (<6.0)
    Neutral (6.0-8.0)
    Soil Drainage:
    Moist
    Occasionally Dry
    Occasionally Wet
    Available Space To Plant:
    12-24 feet
    NC Region:
    Coastal
    Mountains
    Piedmont
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Color:
    Brown/Copper
    Fruit Value To Gardener:
    Showy
    Display/Harvest Time:
    Fall
    Summer
    Fruit Type:
    Legume
    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:
    Each flower has a single petal and is very much unlike other flowers in the pea family. This plant has narrow, 8 to 20 in. racemes of dense, clusters of deep purple or blue flowers with gold stamens in summer. The blooming period is 2-3 weeks any time from April to June.
  • 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 13 to 33 spiny-tipped leaflets with toothless margins. The leaflets are elliptic to oval in shape with a notch at the tip. 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 Brown
    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
    Pollinator Garden
    Rain Garden
    Water Garden
    Design Feature:
    Barrier
    Border
    Hedge
    Mass Planting
    Screen/Privacy
    Small groups
    Attracts:
    Bees
    Butterflies
    Pollinators
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Deer
    Dry Soil
    Poor Soil
    Wet Soil
    Problems:
    Weedy