Amorpha fruticosa - False Indigo Bush

Morphology/Growth habits: This resilient shrub shows off its towers of dark purple flowers with orange stamens in late spring and early summer. Pinnately compound, silvery-green leaves that add great diversity to the foliage of your garden. While it's in the same genus as the Lead Plant (A. canescens), this plant grows much taller—up to 12 feet in the right conditions! Forms dense thickets and spreads by seed and suckers. Especially competitive in northeastern regions. 

Height: 4-12 ft

Light: Full Sun-Part Shade

Moisture: Medium-Wet

Bloom color: Purple, orange

Bloom time: April-July

Habitat/Best Environments: Grows on riverbanks, moist woodlands, and floodlands. Tolerant of many soil conditions, especially wet soils/flooding, making it a great option for a rain garden.

Ecological relationships: Host plant for Southern Dogfaces, Silver-Spotted Skippers, and Black-Spotted prominents. The Amorpha genus is a part of the legume family, which is known to have an especially beneficial relationship between the bacteria on its roots and fungi in the soil—leading to higher nitrogen in the soil and more nutrients for your plants! Long stems of the plant are used to make bedding and arrows in Kiowa and Lakota cultures.

Fun facts: Contains very small amounts of indigo, hence the name 'False Indigo Bush'.