''Amorpha'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. All the species are native to North America, from southern

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

, most of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

(US), and northern

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

. They are commonly known as false indigo. The name ''Amorpha'' means "deformed" or "without form" in Greek and was given because flowers of this genus only have one petal, unlike the usual "pea-shaped" flowers of the

Faboideae The Faboideae are a subfamily of the flowering plant family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. An acceptable alternative name for the subfamily is Papilionoideae, or Papilionaceae when this group of plants is treated as a family. This subfamily is widely ...

subfamily. ''Amorpha'' is missing the wing and keel petals. The desert false indigo or indigo bush (''

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 ...

''), is a shrub that grows from 3 m to 5 m tall. The species is considered a rare species in the US state of

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...

and in the

Canadian province Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British Nort ...

s of

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Win ...

and

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, but is considered an

invasive plant An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species adv ...

in some areas of the northeastern and northwestern United States and in southeastern Canada, beyond its native range, and has also been introduced into

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

. The lead plant (''

Amorpha canescens ''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 stamens w ...

''), a bushy shrub, is an important North American

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 ...

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 ...

. Lead plant is often associated with little bluestem (''

Schizachyrium scoparium ''Schizachyrium scoparium'', commonly known as little bluestem or beard grass, is a species of North American prairie grass native to most of the contiguous United States (except California, Nevada, and Oregon) as well as a small area north of ...

''), a common prairie grass. Native Americans used the dried leaves of lead plant for pipe smoking and tea. ''Amorpha'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. Th ...

e of some Lepidoptera species including '' Schinia lucens'', which feeds exclusively on the genus. Amorphol, a

rotenoid Rotenoids are naturally occurring substances containing a cis-fused tetrahydrochromeno ,4-bhromene nucleus. Many have insecticidal activity, such as the prototypical member of the family, rotenone. Rotenoids are related to the isoflavones. Na ...

bioside In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to another functional group via a glycosidic bond. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides. ...

, can be isolated from plants of the genus ''Amorpha''.

Species

''Amorpha'' comprises the following species: Amorpha fruticosa-flowers

* '' Amorpha apiculata'' Wiggins * '' Amorpha californica'' Torr. & A. Gray—California false indigo, mock locust ** var. ''californica'' Torr. & A. Gray ** var. ''napensis'' Jeps. * ''

'' Pursh—leadplant * '' Amorpha confusa'' (Wilbur) S.C.K. Straub, Sorrie & Weakley * ''

Amorpha crenulata ''Amorpha'' is a genus of plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. All the species are native to North America, from southern Canada, most of the United States (US), and northern Mexico. They are commonly known as false indigo. The name ''Amorpha'' ...

'' Rydb.Some sources treat ''Amorpha crenulata'' as a synonym (variety) of ''Amorpha herbacea''. (endangered) * ''

'' L.—desert false indigo * '' Amorpha georgiana'' Wilbur—Georgia false indigo * ''

Amorpha glabra ''Amorpha'' is a genus of plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. All the species are native to North America, from southern Canada, most of the United States (US), and northern Mexico. They are commonly known as false indigo. The name ''Amorpha'' ...

'' Poir.—mountain false indigo * ''

Amorpha herbacea ''Amorpha'' is a genus of plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. All the species are native to North America, from southern Canada, most of the United States (US), and northern Mexico. They are commonly known as false indigo. The name ''Amorpha'' ...

'' Walter—clusterspike false indigo ** var. ''herbacea'' Walter ** var. ''floridana'' (Rydb.) Wilbur * '' Amorpha laevigata'' Torr. & A. Gray—smooth false indigo * '' Amorpha nana'' C. Fraser—dwarf false indigo * '' Amorpha nitens'' F.E. Boynton—shining false indigo * ''

Amorpha ouachitensis ''Amorpha ouachitensis'' is an uncommon North American species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common names Ouachita leadplant, Ouachita Mountain leadplant, Ouachita false indigo, and Ouachita indigobush. It is native to Okl ...

'' Wilbur—Ouachita false indigo * '' Amorpha paniculata'' Torr. & A. Gray—panicled false indigo * ''

Amorpha roemeriana ''Amorpha'' is a genus of plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. All the species are native to North America, from southern Canada, most of the United States (US), and northern Mexico. They are commonly known as false indigo. The name ''Amorpha'' ...

'' Scheele—Roemer's false indigo * '' Amorpha schwerinii'' C.K. Schneid.—Schwerin's false indigo

Species names with uncertain taxonomic status

The status of the following species is unresolved: * ''Amorpha arborea'' Schkuhr * ''Amorpha californica'' Nutt. * ''Amorpha coerulea'' Lodd. * ''Amorpha colorata'' Raf. * ''Amorpha crocea'' hort. ex Lavallée * ''Amorpha dealbata'' hort. ex Lavallée * ''Amorpha discolor'' Raf. * ''Amorpha elata'' Hayne * ''Amorpha elatior'' hort. ex Lavallée * ''Amorpha flexuosa'' Raf. * ''Amorpha gaertneri'' K.Koch * ''Amorpha gardneri'' K.Koch * ''Amorpha glauca'' Raf. * ''Amorpha incana'' Engelm. * ''Amorpha laevigata'' Nutt. * ''Amorpha lewisii'' Lodd. ex Loudon * ''Amorpha ludoviciana'' hort. ex Lavallée * ''Amorpha ludwigii'' K.Koch * ''Amorpha lutea'' Raf. * ''Amorpha macrophyla'' Raf. * ''Amorpha marginata'' hort. ex Lavallée * ''Amorpha mimosifolia'' Voss * ''Amorpha nana'' Nutt. * ''Amorpha nonperforata'' Schkuhr * ''Amorpha ornata'' Wender. * ''Amorpha pedalis'' Blanco * ''Amorpha perforata'' Schkuhr * ''Amorpha rabiae'' Lex. * ''Amorpha retusa'' Raf. * ''Amorpha sensitiva'' Voss * ''Amorpha tenesseensis'' Schult. * ''Amorpha tomentosa'' Raf. * ''Amorpha verrucosa'' Raf.

Species

Species names with uncertain taxonomic status

Hybrids

References

External links