Fabaceae

Desert false indigo

Amorpha fruticosa L.

Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Amorpha

Pet and kid safety: not checked yet. Check pet-safe plants

Desert false indigo (Amorpha fruticosa) — FlowerPhoto: Sandy Wolkenberg, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (28)

Arabic: ناقصة شجيرية, ناقصة ثؤلولية, ناقصة حساسة, ناقصة زرقاء, ناقصة سماوية, ناقصة مثقبة
Armenian: Ամորֆա թփային
arz: ناقصه شجيريه
Azerbaijani: Kolvari amorfa
Belarusian: Аморфа кустарнікавая
Bulgarian: Храстовидна аморфа
Chinese: 紫穗槐, 棉条, 椒条, 砂仁壳, 苕条
Croatian: Amorfa
Czech: Netvařec křovitý
Danish: Almindelig Særkrone
English: Desert false indigo, False indigo bush
Finnish: Huiskusulkapensas
French: Amorphe buissonnante, Indigo bâtard
German: Bastardindigo, Scheinindigo
hsb: Pyšny indigo
Hungarian: Cserjés gyalogakác
Italian: Amorfa fruticosa
Japanese: イタチハギ
Korean: 족제비싸리, 왜싸리
Lithuanian: Krūminė amorfa
Polish: Amorfa krzewiasta, Amorfa drzewiasta, Amorfa zwyczajna, Indygowiec zwyczajny
Romanian: Amorfă arbustivă, Amorfă
Russian: Аморфа кустарниковая
Serbian: Багренац
Slovak: Beztvarec krovitý
Slovenian: Amorfa, Navadna amorfa
Swedish: Segelbuske
Ukrainian: Аморфа кущова

Synonyms

Amorpha angustifolia (Pursh) Boynton
Amorpha arizonica Rydb.
Amorpha bushii Rydb.
Amorpha caroliniana Croom
Amorpha coerulea Lodd.
Amorpha colorata Raf.
Amorpha crocealanata P.Watson
Amorpha croceolanata Watson
Amorpha croceolanata P.Watson
Amorpha curtisii Rydb.
Amorpha curtissii Rydb.
Amorpha dewinkeleri Small
Amorpha discolor Raf.
Amorpha elata Hayne
Amorpha emarginata (Pursh) Sweet
Amorpha emarginata Eastw.
Amorpha flexuosa Raf.
Amorpha fragrans Sweet
Amorpha fruticosa f. albiflora E.Sheld.
Amorpha fruticosa f. aureo-variegata Schwer.
Amorpha fruticosa f. aureovariegata Schwer.
Amorpha fruticosa f. coerulea (Loudon) E.J.Palmer
Amorpha fruticosa f. crispa (G.Kirchn.) C.K.Schneid.
Amorpha fruticosa f. glabrata E.J.Palmer
Amorpha fruticosa f. humilis (Tausch) E.J.Palmer
Amorpha fruticosa f. latior Fassett
Amorpha fruticosa f. pendula (Carrière) C.K.Schneid.
Amorpha fruticosa var. angustifolia Pursh
Amorpha fruticosa var. caroliniana (Croom) S.Watson
Amorpha fruticosa var. coerulea Loudon
Amorpha fruticosa var. crispa G.Kirchn.
Amorpha fruticosa var. crispa Kirchner
Amorpha fruticosa var. croceolanata (P.Watson) Mouill.
Amorpha fruticosa var. emarginata Pursh
Amorpha fruticosa var. fragrans Bean
Amorpha fruticosa var. fruticosa
Amorpha fruticosa var. humilis (Tausch) C.K.Schneid.
Amorpha fruticosa var. lewisii Loudon
Amorpha fruticosa var. oblongifolia E.J.Palmer
Amorpha fruticosa var. occidentalis (Abrams) Kearney & Peebles

and 30 more.

Flowers

In flower: April to June (from 1,275 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)
Flower colour: purple (USDA PLANTS Database)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Shrub
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Canada: native, Lower 48 states: native

Toxicity: Slight, as listed by the USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29). USDA rates how toxic a plant is to people or livestock; it is not a pet-safety rating, so ask a vet or poison line if a pet or child ate it.

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Sandy Wolkenberg, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Wendy McCrady, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Michael J. Papay, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Dalgial, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: AnRo0002, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Clémentine Fromageot, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: Gavin Slater, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: AnRo0002, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Clémentine Fromageot, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: Rachel Stringham, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: AnRo0002, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Vali Cloșcă, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF

More in Amorpha

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.