False indigo is a woody shrub native to coastal southern California and parts of the southwest. It grows 6-10 feet tall with multiple stems and bright green leaves concentrated at the top third. The shrub blooms from April to July with showy purple-blue flowers with orange anthers that are sweetly scented. It is drought tolerant once established and can be used for bank stabilization or as a hedge. The foliage and fruit can also be used for dye and food.

1. *False Indigo – Amorpha fruticosa
(a-MOR-fuh froo-tee-CO-suh)
Family: Fabaceae (Pea Family)
Native to: Much of San Diego & W. Riverside counties; along streams and river corridors, sheltered
north slopes and canyon bottoms in coastal sage scrub, chaparral. Also in AZ, NM, northern Mexico.
woody shrub
mature height: 6-10 ft. mature width: 3-10 ft.
Large deciduous. leggy shrub with most of it’s bright green leaves on the upper one-third of the
plant . Multiple stems from base (suckering). Branches woody. Leaflets resinous and hairy.
Winter deciduous. Tolerates deer and rabbits.
Foliage repels some insects.
Growth characteristics:
Blooms Apr-July. Flowers very showy, purple-blue with bright orange anthers, on
slender spikes. Flowers pea-like, scented of vanilla and very sweet.
Rather old-fashioned look.
Good butterfly plant. Sets fruit/seed only in favorable years, in fall, but remain through winter.
Blooms/fruits:
Uses in the garden: Good choice for banks, particularly along streams,
for bank stabilization.
Makes a good hedge or windbreak. Nice shrub for back of mixed beds, or in a butterfly garden.
Place where scented flowers can be appreciated. Looks good in either a dry or woodland setting.
Blue indigo dye from foliage (small quantities). Crushed fruit can be used as a condiment.
Sensible substitute for: Non-native shrubs in Pea family.
Attracts: Excellent bird habitat: provides cover and seeds for food.
Butterflies love the flowers.
Requirements:
Element
Sun
Soil
Water
Fertilizer
Other
Requirement
Full sun to part-shade
prefers light to medium (sandy to loamy); any local pH
Infrequent to regular summer water once established. Tolerates winter flooding.
tolerates nutrient-poor soils; no fertilizer needed
Prune back heavily in fall/winter to keep it from getting leggy.
and suckering in moist/wet soil – can become invasive in moist conditions.
Management:
Propagation: from seed:
large seed – pre-soak in warm water; easy
Spreads via seeds
by cuttings/layering:
fairly easy
Plant/seed sources (see list for source numbers): 1, 6, 13, 14
* Native to CA but not to Western L.A. Co.
5/31/10
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