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.[3] It is native to North America.

Amorpha fruticosa

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Amorpha
Species:
A. fruticosa
Binomial name
Amorpha fruticosa
Synonyms[2]
List
    • Amorpha angustifolia (Pursh) Boynton (1902)
    • Amorpha arizonica Rydb. (1919)
    • Amorpha bushii Rydb. (1919)
    • Amorpha caroliniana Croom (1834)
    • Amorpha coerulea Lodd. (1830)
    • Amorpha colorata Raf. (1840)
    • Amorpha croceolanata P.Watson (1825)
    • Amorpha curtisii Rydb. (1919)
    • Amorpha dewinkeleri Small (1933)
    • Amorpha discolor Raf. (1840)
    • Amorpha elata Hayne (1822)
    • Amorpha emarginata (Pursh) Sweet (1826)
    • Amorpha emarginata Eastw. (1931)
    • Amorpha flexuosa Raf. (1840)
    • Amorpha fragrans Sweet (1828)
    • Amorpha gaertneri K.Koch (1869)
    • Amorpha gardneri K.Koch (1869)
    • Amorpha glauca Raf. (1840)
    • Amorpha herbacea Schltdl. (1848)
    • Amorpha humilis Tausch (1838)
    • Amorpha lewisii Lodd. ex Loudon (1839)
    • Amorpha ludwigii K.Koch (1869)
    • Amorpha macrophylla Raf. (1840)
    • Amorpha mimosifolia Voss (1894)
    • Amorpha nonperforata Schkuhr (1796)
    • Amorpha occidentalis Abrams (1910)
    • Amorpha ornata Wender. (1835)
    • Amorpha pendula Carrière (1868)
    • Amorpha perforata Schkuhr (1796)
    • Amorpha pubescens Schltdl. (1851)
    • Amorpha pumila Schltdl. (1848)
    • Amorpha sensitiva Voss (1894)
    • Amorpha tenesseensis Shuttlew. (1848)
    • Amorpha verrucosa Raf. (1840)
    • Amorpha virgata Small (1894)
    • Monosemeion obliquatum Raf. (1840)

Description

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Amorpha fruticosa is a perennial shrub.[4] It grows as a glandular, thornless shrub which can reach 5 or 6 m (16 or 20 ft) in height and spread to twice that in width. It is somewhat variable in morphology. The leaves are made up of many hairy, oval-shaped, spine-tipped leaflets. The inflorescence is a spike-shaped raceme of many flowers, each with a single purple petal and ten protruding stamens with yellow anthers. The fruit is a legume pod containing one or two seeds.[5]

Distribution and habitat

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The native range extends through much of the United States and south into Mexico.[6] Its native habitats include stream and pond edges, open woods, roadsides and canyons.[4]

The species has escaped cultivation elsewhere and is present as an introduced species in Europe,[7] Asia, and other continents. It is often cultivated as an ornamental plant, and some wild populations may be descended from garden escapes.

 
Flowers

Chemistry

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6'-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-12a-hydroxydalpanol, a rotenoid, can be found in the fruits of A. fruticosa.[8] Several members of the amorfrutin class of compounds have been isolated from the fruits.[9] Amorfrutins as well as other secondary metabolites from A. fruticosa have displayed favorable bioactivities counteracting diabetes and the metabolic syndrome.[10]

Ecology

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It is a larval host to the clouded sulphur, gray hairstreak, hoary edge, Io moth, marine blue, silver-spotted skipper, and southern dogface.[11] The plentiful seeds are a food source for bobwhite quail. Both bees and butterflies use the flowers as a nectar source.[12]

Cultivars

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  • 'Albiflora', with white flowers
  • 'Crispa', with curled leaves
  • 'Lewisii', with narrow leaves
  • 'Pendula', with arching branches, forming a dome shape

References

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  1. ^ NatureServe (2024). "Amorpha fruticosa". Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Amorpha fruticosa L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Amorpha fruticosa". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
  4. ^ a b "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  5. ^ "Western False Indigo, Amorpha fruticosa". calscape.org. Archived from the original on 2017-12-16.
  6. ^ "Amorpha fruticosa L. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  7. ^ DAISIE (2009). Handbook of Alien Species in Europe. Dordrecht: Springer. p. 399. ISBN 978-1-4020-8279-5.
  8. ^ Hak Ju Lee; Ha Young Kang; Cheol Hee Kim; Hyo Sung Kim; Min Chul Kwon; Sang Moo Kim; Il Shik Shin; Hyeon Yong Lee (2007). "Effect of new rotenoid glycoside from the fruits of Amorpha fruticosa LINNE on the growth of human immune cells". Cytotechnology. 52 (3): 219–226. doi:10.1007/s10616-006-9040-5. PMC 3449409. PMID 19002880.
  9. ^ Weidner, C.; De Groot, J. C.; Prasad, A.; Freiwald, A.; Quedenau, C.; Kliem, M.; Witzke, A.; Kodelja, V.; Han, C.-T.; Giegold, S.; Baumann, M.; Klebl, B.; Siems, K.; Muller-Kuhrt, L.; Schurmann, A.; Schuler, R.; Pfeiffer, A. F. H.; Schroeder, F. C.; Bussow, K.; Sauer, S. (2012). "Amorfrutins are potent antidiabetic dietary natural products" (PDF). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 109 (19): 7257–62. Bibcode:2012PNAS..109.7257W. doi:10.1073/pnas.1116971109. PMC 3358853. PMID 22509006.
  10. ^ Kozuharova, E; Matkowski, A; Woźniak, D; Simeonova, R; Naychov, Z; Malainer, C; Mocan, A; Nabavi, SM; Atanasov, AG (June 8, 2017). "Amorpha fruticosa - A Noxious Invasive Alien Plant in Europe or a Medicinal Plant against Metabolic Disease?". Frontiers in Pharmacology. 8: 333. doi:10.3389/fphar.2017.00333. PMC 5462938. PMID 28642702.
  11. ^ The Xerces Society (2016), Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects, Timber Press.
  12. ^ Kurz, Don (2004). Shrubs and Woody Vines of Missouri (Second ed.). Conservation Commission of the State of Missouri. p. 48. ISBN 1-887247-44-0.
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