False Indigo Bush

Deciduous Shrub  • $8 to $10, quart/gallon pot

• 

• 

• 

• 

Height	4 to 12 ft
Spacing	6 ft
Sun Exposure	Full to Part Sun
Soil Moisture	Medium to Wet
Bloom Color	Burgundy-Purple
Bloom Time	May, June
Companion Plantings	Swamp Buttercup, Marsh Marigold, Common Wood Sedge
Special Attributes

Amorpha fruticosa

An important caterpillar host plant, Amorpha fruticosa supports nearly 30 moth and butterfly larvae in Southern Indiana/Louisville and should be planted more for that reason alone. Some of these Lepidoptera include the Io moth, the Gray Hairstreak butterfly, and the interesting Southern Dogface Sulphur (see last image above). Bees seek nectar and pollen from the flowers that bloom for around 3 weeks in mid-spring; a specialist Andrenid bee, Andrena quintilis, only feeds on Amorpha spp.

False Indigo Bush is a leggy shrub with attractive foliage that is generally absent on the bottom half of the plant. This plant is found growing along riverbanks, marshes, swamps, and other wet areas, but can adapt to average garden conditions as well. This is similar in appearance to Lead Plant, Amorpha canescens, but is much larger. False Indigo Bush is in the legume family, Fabaceae, and fixes nitrogen like many in that group. Plants can form thickets and would work well for erosion control of degraded sites. Indigo pigment is found in this plant but is not easily processed for practical use, hence its common name.

Related Plants