Minnesota Wildflowers


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Amorpha fruticosa (False Indigo)

Plant Info
Also known as: Desert False Indigo, Bastard Indigo
Genus:Amorpha
Family:Fabaceae (Pea)
Life cycle:perennial
Origin:native
Habitat:part shade, sun; moist; along shores, edges of woods
Bloom season:June - July
Plant height:3 to 12 feet
County distribution (click map to enlarge):Minnesota county distribution map
Spotted in Ramsey County at:

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Detailed Information

Flower: indistinct tubular spike

[photo of flowers] Flowers are in spike clusters to 6 inches long and ½ to 1 inch in diameter. Individual flowers are about ¼ inch long, tubular looking, deep purple to reddish brown with 10 protruding yellow-orange tipped stamens. The “tube” is actually a single petal rolled up to look like a tube. One plant has numerous spikes, with 1 to a few spikes at the end of branching stems.

Leaves and stem: alternate compound

[photo of leaves] Leaves are compound in groups of 11 to 25, alternately attached at the main stem. Leaflets are generally oval, rounded at both ends, to 1½ inch long and ¾ inch wide, and toothless. They can be hairless or hairy to varying degrees. The main stem is woody and hairless.

Notes:

False Indigo is technically a shrub. It is native to the midwest but has been cultivated in other parts of the country. The flowers look very similar to Lead Plant, but its leaflets are smaller, more numerous and compact, it grows in dry habitats and only grows to a maximum 3 feet tall.

Where to buy native seed and plants

Help support this site by buying seeds & plants from these vendors. Tell them we sent you!

  • Out Back Nursery and Landscaping - Where Ecology and Horticulture Unite
  • Shooting Star Native Seeds - Native Prairie Grass and Wildflower Seeds
  • Prairie Restorations - Bringing people together with the land
  • Shop for native seeds and plants at PrairieMoon.com!

Map of native plant purveyors in the upper midwest

More photos

Photos by K. Chayka taken at Vadnais/Snail Lake Regional Park, Shoreview, MN. Photos courtesy Peter M. Dziuk taken in Aitkin county.

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