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Ouachita false indigo, Ouachita false indigo or indigo-bush

Habit Shrubs, 1–2 m; arising from compact, woody root.
Stems

smooth, sparsely gland-dotted, pilosulous or glabrous.

Leaves

7–23 cm;

stipules lanceolate, 3–4 mm, eglandular, glabrous except with villous tuft apically;

petiole 10–17 mm, gland-dotted, sparsely pubescent to

Amorpha ouachitensis

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Moist thickets and woods.
Elevation 100–600 m. (300–2000 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AR; OK
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

glabrate or glabrous; rachis sparsely gland-dotted, sparsely puberulent or glabrous; leaflets (7–)9–13(–17), stipels acicular, 1.2–2.2 mm, petiolule 2–3(–4) mm, usually sparsely gland-dotted, rarely eglandular, pilosulous to glabrate or glabrous, blade broadly elliptic to broadly oblong, (12–)25–40(–70) × (9–)15–25(–35) mm, base round, margins flat, entire or slightly crenulate, apex often emarginate, sometimes round to truncate, surfaces gland-dotted, puberulent to glabrate or glabrous; midvein terminated by a swollen mucro, 0.2–0.6 mm. Racemes 1–4-branched, (8–)10–20 cm; rachis sparsely gland-dotted or eglandular, puberulent or glabrous; bracteoles narrowly oblong, 1–1.5 mm, glabrous except margin stiffly hairy. Pedicels 1–1.5 mm, eglandular, puberulent to glabrate or glabrous. Flowers: calyx tube narrowly conical to funnelform, 2.8–3.2 mm, distal 1/4 not obviously gland-dotted, puberulent to glabrate or glabrous; lobes mostly round, 0.4–0.9(–1.2) mm; banner purple, obcordate, 5–7.5 × 4.5–6 mm, not clawed, margins entire, apex emarginate; filaments 8–10 mm, connate basally 3–6 mm; anthers yellow; ovary usually glabrous. Legumes sessile, 7–9 × 3–4 mm, margins curved outward abaxially, straight or sharply bent adaxially, at least distal 1/2 gland-dotted, usually glabrous. Seeds dark brownish to blackish, 4–5 × 2.5–3 mm, smooth.

Amorpha ouachitensis is listed as a species of concern by the states of Arkansas and Oklahoma; it is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Amorpha
Sibling taxa
A. californica, A. canescens, A. confusa, A. crenulata, A. fruticosa, A. georgiana, A. glabra, A. herbacea, A. laevigata, A. nana, A. nitens, A. paniculata, A. roemeriana, A. schwerinii
Name authority Wilbur: Rhodora 77: 394. (1975)
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