Amorpha fruticosa
false indigo-bush, bastard-indigo
Fabaceae (Leguminosae)
Plant Specifics
Form:
shrub
Size:
6-12 ft tall by 6-10 ft wide
Life Span:
long-lived perennial
Flower Color:
blue, purple
Fruit Color:
brown (legume)
Phenology:
Deciduous. Blooms spring-summer.
Noted For:
Showy Flowers, Fall Color
Landscaping
Recommended Uses:
Multistemmed shrub that can form small thickets. Plant as a screen, hedge, or background plant.
Considerations:
Can become aggressive in some habitats.
Light:
Part Sun
Moisture Tolerance:
Usually moist, occasional inundation ---- to ---- Short very dry periods
Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:
Unknown
Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:
Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray
Soil or Other Substrate:
Sand
Suitable to Grow In:
8A,8B,9A,9B,10A
Ecology
Wildlife:
Pollinators, Butterflies, Caterpillars, Hummingbirds, Birds, Mammals
Larval host for southern dogface ( Zerene cesonia ), gray hairstreak ( Strymon melinus ), and silver-spotted Skipper ( Epargyreus clarus ).
Said to attract bees, beetles, and other insect pollinators.
Native Habitats:
Moist hammocks, dry hammocks, dry hardwood forests
