Summary ²

Amorpha Canescens (Amorpha brachycarpa, Leadplant, Leadplant amorpha, Downy indigo bush, Prairie shoestring, Buffalo bellows) is a 30–90 cm (1–3 ft) tall perennial semi-shrub in the Pea family (Fabaceae) that is native to North America. It has very small purple flowers with yellow stamens which are grouped in racemes. Depending on location, the flowers bloom from late June through mid-September. The compound leaves of this plant appear leaden (the reason for the common name "leadplant.")

Description ³

Family:
Fabaceae (Pea)

Height:
1 to 3 feet

Leaves:
Compound leaves may have up to 50 leaflets with each leaflet being about 3/4 inch long and somewhere between oval and egg-shaped. Leaves are covered in fine white hairs which give them a wooly and grayish appearance. The main stems are brown and woody and the few branching stems are typically grayish green to fine white .

Flower:
The flower consists of dense spike clusters 2 to 6 inches long with many small flowers and their protruding bright orange-tipped stamens. Individual flowers are less than ¼ inch long with a relatively broad upper petal that wraps around the stamens creating a tube, then flattens out after pollination. The flowers bloom from the spike up and their colors range from light purple to deep blue-violet.

Bloom time:
June-August

Habitat:
sun; dry prairies, sandy open woods

Wildlife Benefits:
Provides food for pollinators and many insects.

Can I plant this in my garden?
Yes! Lead plant is very beneficial to pollinators and insects and has a place in backyard gardens.

References:
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/shrub/lead-plant
https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/leadplantx.htm

Range ³

Sources and Credits

1. (c) ljbrown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
2. Adapted by Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amorpha_canescens
3. (c) Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNaturalistAU taxon page
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• eFloras.org
• Flora of North America (beta)
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• Go Botany
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• SEINet Symbiota portals
• Tropicos
• USDA PLANTS database
• VASCAN by Canadensys
• World Flora Online

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