FNPS Plant Database
Amorpha herbacea
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Nomenclature
Common Name:
Synonym(s):
Amorpha herbacea var. herbacea
Genus species:
Amorpha herbacea
Family:
Fabaceae (Leguminosae)
Plant Specifics
Form:
Size:
Life Span:
Flower Color:
white, lavender
Fruit Color:
Phenology:
Noted For:
Landscaping
Recommended Uses:
Considerations:
Availability:
Propagation:
Seed, cuttings
Light:
Moisture Tolerance:
Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry
-|------|---
<---------------------------> ---|----|-
Not wet but not extremely dry ---to--- Very long very dry periods
Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:
Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water
Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:
Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray
Soil or Other Substrate:
Sand
Soil pH:
Suitable to Grow In:
8B, 9A, 9B, 10A
USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Ecology
Wildlife:
Larval host for silver spotted skipper (Epargyreus clarus) and southern dogface (Zerene cesonia) butterflies. Attracts butterflies and pollinators, especially native bees.
Native Habitats:
Pine rocklands and in marl prairies (trasverse glades)
Natural Range in Florida:
Visit the USF Libraries Atlas of Florida Plants
Comments:
Ethnobotany:
General Comments:
A second subspecies, Amorpha herbacea subsp. crenulata is endemic to Miami-Dade County. Considered to by Endangered by the State of Florida and by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Citations:
Chafin, Linda. 2000. Crenulate Lead Plant. Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Florida. Florida Natural Areas Inventory, Tallahassee.
Hammer, Roger L. 2015. Attracting Hummingbirds and Butterflies in Tropical Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.
Huegel, Craig N. 2012. Native Wildflowers and Other Ground Covers for Florida Landscapes. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.
Osorio, Rufino. 2001. A Gardener's Guide to Florida's Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.
Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ).] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.
