Virginia ecotype
Duration: PerennialHabit: Upright, open, thicket-forming, naturalizing
Size: Typically 6–12 ft tall and 6–10 ft wide
Flowering Time: May, June, July
Bloom Color: Deep purple with yellow stamens
Habitat: Streambanks, sandy floodplains, bottomland woods, wet thickets, and prairie edges
Moisture: Moist to wet; prefers well-drained soils but tolerates periodic flooding
Light: Full sun to part sun; best performance in full sun
Soils: Sandy, loamy, clay, occasionally gravelly
Uses: Erosion control, wildlife habitat, riparian buffer planting, pollinator support, nitrogen fixation, native shrub border
Amorpha fruticosa (False indigo bush)
Amorpha fruticosa, or False Indigo Bush, is a native leguminous shrub found widely across the central and eastern United States, particularly along riverbanks and floodplains. Its feathery pinnate leaves have dramatic spires of small, fragrant purple flowers tipped with bright yellow stamens, almost tropical in appearance. These flowers bloom around late spring and are highly attractive to native bees, butterflies, and other pollinators including hummingbirds.
The plant’s loose, airy form and adaptability to tough conditions make it useful in restoration plantings. The stems are easy to root in moist soils and sands, and it is often used as "live stakes" for stabilizing streambanks and other riparian zones.
A member of the pea family, A. fruticosa is a nitrogen fixer, enriching the soil through symbiosis with Rhizobium bacteria in its root nodules. Ecologically, dense thickets of this shrubby plant offer cover for birds and small mammals, while its seeds are eaten by upland game birds.
Fale indigo bush also serves as a host plant for several moth and butterfly species, including the Southern Dogface (Zerene cesonia) and the Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus).