False Indigo Bush (Amorpha fruticosa)
The false indigo bush (Amorpha fruticosa) is known by many common names, including desert false indigo, dull-leaf indigobush, leadplant, and river locust. There are also other local plants with similar sounding common names, such as wild indigo (Baptisia tictoria). This is a prime example of the importance of scientific names in accurately differentiating between species. The leaves of false indigo bush, when present, are alternate and compound, with blunt oval-shaped leaflets 1 to 1.5 inches long. In May and June,…