Lead Plant
| Also known as: | Shoestrings |
|---|---|
| Scientific name: | Amorpha canescens |
| Family: | Pea (Fabaceae) |
| Life cycle: | perennial |
| Origin: | native |
| Habitat: | sun; dry fields, prairies |
| Bloom season: | late spring, summer |
| Plant height: | 1 to 3 feet |
| USDA PLANTS database: | Minnesota county distribution map |
| Spotted in Ramsey County at: |
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Detailed Information
- Flower:
![[photo of flower]](/udata/r9ndp23q/purple/lead-plant-100_9665-t.jpg)
Dense spike cluster 1 to 4 inches long of many small tubular flowers with protruding orange-tipped stamen (not the typical shape for a member of the Pea family). Individual flowers are less than ¼ inch long. Flower color ranges from light purple to deep blue-purple. One plant may have several clusters
- Leaves:
![[photo of leaves]](/udata/r9ndp23q/purple/lead-plant-100_9679-t.jpg)
Compound leaves may have as many as 50 leaflets. Each leaflet is about ¾ inch long and is generally oval, rounded at both ends. Leaves are covered in fine gray hairs, giving them a wooly grayish appearance.
- Notes:
- Lead Plant tends to grow in clumps. According to my field guide, Lead Plant can live for centuries and not grow larger than 3 feet tall.
![[photo of flower]](/udata/r9ndp23q/purple/lead-plant-100_9665.jpg)
![[photo of leaves]](/udata/r9ndp23q/purple/lead-plant-100_9679.jpg)
More photos
clump of plantsMore purple wildflowers. Photos taken at Long Lake Regional Park, New Brighton, MN, June 2007.
Comments
Have you seen this plant in Ramsey County, or have any other comments about it?
on: 2008-06-08 17:26:28
You've helped me to name another plant. I took a picture of a lead plant by a pond in Waite Park on one of my walks last year. Waite Park is in Stearns County.