The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

Piedmont indigo-bush, schwerin's false indigo

Georgia false indigo, Georgia false indigo or indigo-bush

Habit Shrubs, (1–)1.5–2.5 m; arising from compact, woody root. Shrubs, 0.3–1.2 m; arising from compact, woody root.
Stems

finely grooved, gland-dotted, puberulent.

finely longitudinally grooved and ridged, gland-dotted, sparsely puberulent or glabrous.

Leaves

(5–)8–12(–22) cm;

stipules linear to narrowly lanceolate, 3–4.5 mm, eglandular, pubescent abaxially, glabrous adaxially;

petiole (7–)10–18(–25) mm, usually eglandular, pubescent;

rachis usually eglandular, puberulent;

leaflets (7–)19–27(–29), stipels acicular, 1–2.2 mm, petiolule (0.5–)1–2 mm, gland-dotted, pilosulous to puberulent, blade usually elliptic to narrowly oblong, rarely ovate to suborbiculate, (5–)15–30(–40) × (4–)8–15(–20) mm, base truncate to subcordate, margins slightly revolute, entire or slightly crenulate, apex obtuse to round or emarginate, surfaces gland-dotted, pilose to pubescent;

midvein terminated by a swollen mucro, 0.2–0.5(–0.8) mm.

(3–)6–15(–18) cm;

stipules sometimes persistent, linear or setaceous, (1–)1.5–2(–2.5) mm;

petiole 1–3(–5) mm, gland-dotted, puberulent or glabrous;

rachis sparsely gland-dotted, puberulent or glabrous;

leaflets (11–)15–43(–47), stipels acicular or setaceous, 0.8–1.8 mm, petiolule 0.7–1.5(–1.8) mm, gland-dotted, mostly puberulent or glabrous, blade elliptic to oblong or, at least terminal leaflet, ovate to suborbiculate, (3–)6–10(–21) × (2–)3–6(–12) mm, base truncate or round to subcordate, margins usually revolute, entire or inconspicuously crenulate, apex round to obtuse or emarginate, surfaces usually glabrous or glabrate, sometimes sparsely pubescent;

midvein terminated by a slender mucro, (0.2–)0.4–1 mm.

Racemes

1(or 2)-branched, (2–)4–8(–12) cm;

rachis usually eglandular, puberulent to pubescent;

bracteoles linear to narrowly lanceolate, 2–3.5 mm, pilosulous abaxially, glabrous adaxially.

usually unbranched, (2–)5–20(–30) cm, rarely with 2–4 lateral branches, these (2–)3–5(–6) cm;

rachis sparsely gland-dotted, often glabrous, sometimes puberulent;

bracteoles linear to narrowly subulate, 1.5–2.5(–3) mm, usually eglandular, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, margins often ciliate.

Pedicels

(0.8–)1–1.5(–2) mm, eglandular, puberulent to pubescent.

0.4–1 mm, eglandular, glabrous or glabrate.

Flowers

calyx tube turbinate to cylindric, 1.8–2.5 mm, distal 1/3 or less gland-dotted, pilosulous;

lobes linear to narrowly lanceolate, (1.2–)2–3.5 mm;

banner purplish, broadly obovate to obcordate, 4.5–6.5 × 3–4.2 mm, distinctly clawed, margins entire or erose;

filaments 6–8 mm, connate basally 1.5–2 mm;

anthers golden yellow;

ovary usually pubescent.

calyx tube turbinate to narrowly campanulate or cylindric, 1.7–2.2 mm, distal 1/3–2/3 rarely gland-dotted, glabrous;

lobes triangular to acuminate, 0.4–1.2(–1.5) mm, densely ciliate;

banner usually reddish purple, rarely lavender, broadly obovate to obcordate, (4–)5–6 × 3–3.5(–4) mm, distinctly clawed, margins entire or finely erose;

filaments 5–8 mm, distinct;

anthers yellow;

ovary pubescent.

Legumes

sessile, 5–6.5 × 1.8–2.2 mm, margins curved outward abaxially, straight adaxially, at least distal 1/2 gland-dotted, usually glabrous.

stipitate, 4–5.5 × 2–2.5 mm, margins curved outward abaxially, straight adaxially, at least distal 1/2–2/3 gland-dotted, glabrous.

Seeds

not seen.

usually olive green, sometimes olive-tan, 2–2.3 × 1–1.3 mm, smooth, lustrous.

Amorpha schwerinii

Amorpha georgiana

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun. Flowering Apr–May.
Habitat Dry to moist open woodlands and forests. Sandy river terraces in woods, sometimes bordering moist thickets on the middle and inner Atlantic Coastal Plain.
Elevation 100–600 m. (300–2000 ft.) 0–100 m. (0–300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; GA; NC; SC
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
GA; NC; SC; Sandy river terraces in woods; sometimes bordering moist thickets on the middle and inner Atlantic Coastal Plain
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Amorpha schwerinii is listed as a species of special concern in Georgia and South Carolina, and as significantly rare in North Carolina.

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

Amorpha georgiana is a Federal species of concern and is listed as endangered by the states of Georgia and North Carolina, and as a species of concern by South Carolina. Only about 900 individuals are known, most in and around the Fort Bragg Military Reservation in North Carolina (B. A. Sorrie 1995; V. M. Miller 2004). Amorpha georgiana is distributed from south-central and southeastern North Carolina to central Georgia; reports from southern Georgia (Echols County) are erroneous, based on misidentification of material of A. herbacea var. floridana.

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

Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Amorpha 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. paniculata, A. roemeriana
A. californica, A. canescens, A. confusa, A. crenulata, A. fruticosa, A. glabra, A. herbacea, A. laevigata, A. nana, A. nitens, A. ouachitensis, A. paniculata, A. roemeriana, A. schwerinii
Name authority C. K. Schneider: Ill. Handb. Laubholzk. 2: 71, figs. 42l,m, 44a. (1907) — (as schwerini) Wilbur: Rhodora 56: 261, figs. 1–6. (1954)
Web links