Panicled Indigo Bush

Amorpha paniculata T. & G. Fl. N. Am. 1: 306. 1838
? Amorpha lomentosa Raf. Fl. Ludov. 105. 1817. Amorpha Roemeriana Scheele, Linnaea 21: 461. 1848.
A coarse shrub, 2-4 m. high; branches velutinous-canescent, angled; leaves 1-3 dm. long, ascending; petioles 2-5 cm. long, as well as the rachis tomentose; stipules setaceous, glabrous; leaflets 11-17, oval or elliptic, 2-7 cm. long, 1-3 cm. wide, strongly veined beneath, rounded or retuse at each end, thick, densely velutinous beneath, sparingly tomentose, becoming glabrate and shining above; racemes in a peduncled panicle, 1-2 dm. long, tomentose; calyx about 4 mm. long; lobes subulate-lanceolate, about 2 mm. long; banner purple, obovate, 3-4 mm. long; pod incurved on the back, 7-8 mm. long, 2-3 mm. wide, glabrous, conspicuously glandular-dotted.
Type locality : Arkansas.
Distribution: Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas.

Perennial, Shrubs, Stems woody below, or from woody crown or caudex, Plants with rhizomes or suckers, Nodules present, Stems erect or ascending, Stems less than 1 m tall, Stems 1-2 m tall, Stems greater than 2 m tall, Stems solid, Stems or young twigs sparsely to densely hairy, Leaves alternate, Leaves petiolate, Stipules inconspicuous, absent, or caducous, Stipules membranous or chartaceous, Stipules setiform, subulate or acicular, Stipules deciduous, Stipules free, Leaves compound, Leaves odd pinna te, Leaf or leaflet margins entire, Leaflets alternate or subopposite, Stipels present at base of leaflets, Leaflets 10-many, Leaves glandular punctate or gland-dotted, Leaves hairy on one or both surfaces, Leaves coriaceous, Inflorescences racemes, Inflorescences spikes or spike-like, Inflorescence axillary, Bracts very small, absent or caducous, Flowers zygomorphic, Calyx 5-lobed, Calyx hairy, Corolla reduced to 1 petal, Petals separate, Petals clawed, Petals blue, lavander to purple, or violet, Banner petal ovoid or obovate, Stamens 9-10, Stamens monadelphous, united below, Stamens long exserted, Filaments glabrous, Anthers versatile, Style terete, Fruit a legume, Fruit unilocular, Fruit indehiscent, Fruit oblong or ellipsoidal, Fruit strongly curved, falcate, bent, or lunate, Fruit exserted from calyx, Fruit hairy, Fruit gland-dotted or with gland-tipped hairs, Fruit 1-seeded, Seeds ovoid to rounded in outline, Seeds cordiform, mit-shaped, notched at one end, Seed surfac e smooth, Seeds olive, brown, or black.