page_title: Amorpha
section_title: Species
hierarchical_section_title: Amorpha / Species
caption_attribution_description: Amorpha fruticosa flowers. Note that unlike most other plants of the bean/legume family this one's flowers only have one petal. Usually a bean flower has a large "standard", two "wings" and two "keel" petals. Here, only the large standard petal is developed.
context_page_description: Amorpha is a genus of plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. All the species are native to North America, from southern Canada, most of the United States, and northern Mexico. They are commonly known as false indigo. The name Amorpha means "deformed" or "without form" in Greek and was given because flowers of this genus only have one petal, unlike the usual "pea-shaped" flowers of the Faboideae subfamily. Amorpha is missing the wing and keel petals.
  The desert false indigo or indigo bush, is a shrub that grows from 3 m to 5 m tall. The species is considered a rare species in the US state of West Virginia and in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario, but is considered an invasive plant in some areas of the northeastern and northwestern United States and in southeastern Canada, beyond its native range, and has also been introduced into Europe.
  The lead plant, a bushy shrub, is an important North American prairie legume. Lead plant is often associated with little bluestem, a common prairie grass. Native Americans used the dried leaves of lead plant for pipe smoking and tea.
context_section_description: Amorpha comprises the following species:
  Amorpha apiculata Wiggins
  Amorpha californica Torr. & A. Gray—California false indigo, mock locust
  var. californica Torr. & A. Gray
  var. napensis Jeps.
  Amorpha canescens Pursh—leadplant
  Amorpha confusa (Wilbur) S.C.K. Straub, Sorrie & Weakley
  Amorpha crenulata Rydb. (endangered)
  Amorpha fruticosa L.—desert false indigo
  Amorpha georgiana Wilbur—Georgia false indigo
  Amorpha glabra Poir.—mountain false indigo
  Amorpha herbacea Walter—clusterspike false indigo
  var. herbacea Walter
  var. floridana (Rydb.) Wilbur
  Amorpha laevigata Torr. & A. Gray—smooth false indigo
  Amorpha nana C. Fraser—dwarf false indigo
  Amorpha nitens F.E. Boynton—shining false indigo
  Amorpha ouachitensis Wilbur—Ouachita false indigo
  Amorpha paniculata Torr. & A. Gray—panicled false indigo
  Amorpha roemeriana Scheele—Roemer's false indigo
  Amorpha schwerinii C.K. Schneid.—Schwerin's false indigo
caption: Flowers of Amorpha fruticosa
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