False Indigo
Amorpha × notha
- Native to:
- United States
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Fabaceae
- Genus:
- Amorpha
- Species:
- Amorpha × notha
- USDA Symbol:
- AMNO
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Shrub
- Height:
- 120 cm
- Light Requirements:
- Full Sun
- Drought Tolerance:
- Medium
- Bloom Months:
- may,jun,jul
- Bloom Colors:
- purple, blue
- Landscaping Shrub:
- Yes
Wildlife Benefits
- Bees:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Documented bee visitation (GBIF)
- Butterflies & Moths:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Documented Lepidoptera association (GBIF)
Reported Fauna Sightings
Bees: American bumble bee (Bombus pensylvanicus), Brown-belted bumble (Bombus griseocollis), Two-spotted bumble (Bombus bimaculatus), ⚠️Western honey bee (Apis mellifera), Yellow bumble bee (Bombus fervidus) Hummingbirds: Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri), Costa's Hummingbird (Calypte costae) Moths:Black-spotted prominent (Dasylophia anguina), Genista Broom Moth (Uresiphita reversalis), Io moth (Automeris io), Walshia amorphella Butterflies:Barred Yellow (Eurema daira), 🛑California dogface butterfly (Zerene eurydice), Cassius Blue (Leptotes cassius), Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia), Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus), Julia butterfly (Dione vanillae), Little Yellow (Eurema lisa), Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus), Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus), Southern Broken-Dash (Polites otho), Southern Dogface (Zerene cesonia), Wild Indigo Duskywing (Erynnis baptisiae)
Garden & Ecology Notes
- Wildlife Value:
- bees, butterflies, birds
- Deer Resistant:
- Yes
- Fragrant:
- Yes
- Fire Ecology:
- Fire adapted — tolerates or benefits from fire
- Fire Notes:
- Resprouts vigorously from root crown after fire or top damage, typical of prairie legumes.
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- rich, well-drained loamy soil
- pH:
- 6.0 - 7.5 (slightly acidic to neutral)
- Drainage:
- excellent drainage required
- Moisture:
- dry to moderate
- Notes:
- Prefers sunny locations with good air circulation
Propagation & Germination
- Stratification:
- Cold/moist stratification required — 30–60 days
- Scarification:
- Seed coat scarification required before sowing
- Germination Time:
- 14–30 days
- Notes:
- Seeds have hard coats requiring scarification or hot water treatment before cold stratification for best results.
The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI