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panicle false indigo, panicle false indigo or indigo-bush

Habit Shrubs or suffrutescent herbs, 1–3 m; arising from compact, woody root.
Stems

longitudinally grooved and ridged, eglandular, mostly puberulent, canescent, or tomentose, sometimes glabrate.

Leaves

(10–)20–40 cm;

stipules linear, 2–3 mm, eglandular, pubescent;

petiole (20–)30–60(–90) mm, eglandular, puberulent, canescent, or tomentose;

rachis eglandular, puberulent or canescent;

leaflets (9–)11–19, stipels acicular, 1–2 mm, petiolule (2–)4–10 mm, sparsely gland-dotted, usually pilosulous proximally, glabrous distally, blade narrowly elliptic to oblong or ovate, 15–30(–50) × (14–)18–22(–26) mm, base round, margins flat, entire, apex round, surfaces sparsely gland-dotted abaxially, canescent to tomentose or glabrate abaxially, usually puberulent to glabrate or glabrous adaxially;

veins conspicuous, distinctly raised abaxially;

midvein terminated by a slender mucro, 0.5–1.8 mm.

Racemes

(1–)5–12-branched, paniculiform, (5–)15–30(–40) cm;

rachis eglandular, short-pilose;

bracteoles linear, 1–2 mm, eglandular, short-pilose.

Pedicels

1–2 mm, eglandular, short-pilose.

Flowers

calyx tube funnelform, 1.8–2.2 mm, distal 1/3 gland-dotted, usually short-pilose, rarely glabrate;

lobes: abaxial lobe linear to narrowly lanceolate, adaxial lobes usually triangular to ovate, (1–)1.2–2 mm;

banner purple, broadly obcordate, 5–7 × 3–4 mm, indistinctly clawed, margins entire or slightly erose;

filaments 5–6 mm, connate basally 2.5–3 mm;

anthers orange;

ovary glabrous.

Legumes

sessile, 4–6(–8) × 2–2.5 mm, margins curved outward abaxially, bent outward adaxially, gland-dotted, glabrous.

Seeds

reddish brown, 3–3.5 × 1.5–1.8 mm, smooth.

Amorpha paniculata

Phenology Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat Moist, acid thickets, bogs, and swamps.
Elevation 10–300 m. (0–1000 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AR; LA; OK; TX
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Amorpha paniculata is listed as threatened in Arkansas and as a species of concern in Oklahoma.

(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. ouachitensis, A. roemeriana, A. schwerinii
Name authority Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 1: 306. (1838)
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