''Amorpha canescens'', known as leadplant, downy indigo bush, prairie shoestring, or buffalo bellows, is a small, perennial semi-shrub in the pea family ( Fabaceae), native to North America. It has very small purple flowers with yellow

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

s which are grouped in

racemes A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the sh ...

. Depending on location, the flowers bloom from late June through mid-September.Penskar, M.R. 2008. Special Plant Abstract for leadplant (Amorpha canescens). Michigan Natural Features Inventory, Lansing, MI. 4 pp. The compound leaves of this plant appear leaden (the reason for the common name "leadplant") due to their dense hairiness. The roots can grow up to deep and can spread up to radially. This plant can be found growing in well-drained soils of prairies, bluffs, and open woodlands.

Description

Typically between tall, leadplant can be identified by its small purple flowers grouped in long spikes and its grey-green leaflets that are alternate and pinnately compound. The plant produces fruits in the form of hairy

legume A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock fo ...

s each with one seed inside. The flower and leafing pattern is similar to ''

Amorpha fruticosa ''Amorpha fruticosa'' is a species of flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae, known by several common names, including desert false indigo, false indigo-bush, and bastard indigobush. It is native to North America. Description ''Amorpha f ...

'', however, ''A. canescens'' typically only grows to be high and prefers drier habitats whereas ''A. fruticosa'' can grow to be high and lives in wetter areas.

Uses

Leadplant is used for a variety of different purposes.

Indigenous peoples Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

such as the

Oglala The Oglala (pronounced , meaning "to scatter one's own" in Lakota language) are one of the seven subtribes of the Lakota people who, along with the Dakota, make up the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Seven Council Fires). A majority of the Oglala live ...

use the plant for medicinal purposes.Species account from Native American Ethnobotany (University of Michigan - Dearborn)
Retrieved 2010-03-26 Some indigenous tribes believed that the plant could aide in treating pinworms,

eczema Dermatitis is inflammation of the skin, typically characterized by itchiness, redness and a rash. In cases of short duration, there may be small blisters, while in long-term cases the skin may become thickened. The area of skin involved can v ...

rheumatism Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including ar ...

, neuralgia, open wounds, and cuts. The leaves of the plant were also used to make a tea and as a smoking mixture when dried, crushed and combined with buffalo fat. It is also provides many benefits to the ecosystems it is a part of, for example it provides valuable nutrition for grazing animals and helps prevent soil erosion. Leadplant may also be used in landscaping and gardening purposes due to its

nitrogen fixing Nitrogen fixation is a chemical process by which molecular nitrogen (), with a strong triple covalent bond, in the air is converted into ammonia () or related nitrogenous compounds, typically in soil or aquatic systems but also in industry. Atmos ...

qualities and ability to help prevent erosion. Its nodulated roots are home to

nitrogen fixing bacteria Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at seventh ...

which help the plants grow.

Taxonomy

''Amorpha canescens'' was described by

Frederick Pursh Frederick Traugott Pursh (or Friedrich Traugott Pursch) (February 4, 1774 – July 11, 1820) was a German– American botanist. Born in Großenhain, Saxony, under the name Friedrich Traugott Pursh, he was educated at Dresden Botanical Gardens, ...

in 1814. It falls under subfamily Papilionoideae of the family Fabaceae. The specific epithet "canescens" is a

botanical Latin Botanical Latin is a technical language based on New Latin, used for descriptions of botanical taxa. Until 2012, International Code of Botanical Nomenclature mandated Botanical Latin to be used for the descriptions of most new taxa. It is still t ...

term meaning "becoming grey". There have been further delineation beyond species of ''Amorpha canescens'' into distinct variants (such as the ''A. canescens var. glabrata'') based on the amount of hairs and color of the leaves, however this further distinction is not typically accepted due to the wide variation in pubescence of the plant.

Distribution and habitat

''Amorpha canescens'' can be found in many locations throughout North America, ranging from southern parts of Canada south to Texas and New Mexico and spanning west to Montana and east to Michigan. Leadplant is typically found in dry

prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

and

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

communities Leadplant prefers drier, well-drained soil of many different textures including sandy, gravely, and rocky soils. Finding leadplant indicates minimal livestock

grazing In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to roam around and consume wild vegetations in order to convert the otherwise indigestible (by human gut) cellulose within grass and other ...

and well-kept land that is not overgrown or that has experienced regular

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...

References

External links

USDA Plants Profile for ''Amorpha canescens'' (leadplant)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2074094 canescens Flora of the North-Central United States Flora of the United States Flora of the South-Central United States Flora of the Great Plains (North America) Flora of the Canadian Prairies Plants described in 1814 Taxa named by Frederick Traugott Pursh Plants used in traditional Native American medicine