XDwarf False Indigo (Amorpha nana)X
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Dwarf False Indigo -or- Dwarf Leadplant -or- Fragrant False Indigo, family Fabaceae (Pea/Legume)
These lovely 'red pencils' are common to the Boulder Colorado area where we ran across them on a hike. The name (leadplant) is based on superstition, the plants are not toxic. The identity of the plant was unknown to us for a long time. It was delightful to learn 'who' they are. This is one of only 14 species in the genus Amorpha. The species is a deciduous shrub.
USES: Navajo Drug (Respiratory Aid) Plant used as a snuff for catarrh. Per Plants for a Future are also these uses: The resinous pustules on some species yield the insecticide 'amorpha'. The plant has a strong spreading root system making it useful for controlling soil erosion.
Flower -
Plant location: Found on June 2, 2009 in a Boulder County Open Space - Coal Seam Trail - Colorado. This species is recorded in the following United States: CO, IA, KS, MN, ND, NE, NM, OK, SD. Nana will grow nicely in poor soil and can fix Nitrogen.
For a closer look at the distribution of nana see BONAP.
Plant -
Bloom season: May through July.Foliage -
Boulder County Open Space, Coal Seam Trail, Colorado - June 2, 2009
Closer view of plant which grows to a mature height of about 2 feet tall. -
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Boulder County Open Space, Coal Seam Trail, Colorado - June 2, 2009
The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs).
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Boulder County Open Space, Coal Seam Trail, Colorado - June 2, 2009
Foliage macro shows a characteristic trait of this species, the hairless (glaborous) leaf surface. Or as Weber says in Colorado Flora Eastern Slope - "nearly so". -
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