Amorpha californica

Kearney and Peebles 1969

Common Name: California false indigo Duration: Perennial Nativity: Native Lifeform: Shrub Wetland Status: FAC General: Shrubs, unarmed but dotted with spinelike glands, minutely pilose herbage, 1-4 m tall. Leaves: Long, pinnate leaves, the tip of the leaf ending in a single leaflet, leaflets entire, bright green, smooth, gland-dotted, spineless. Flowers: Flowers small, clustered in long spikes, petals when present purple (banner petal only), with 5 sepals these with narrowly triangular lanceolate teeth, stamens 9-10. Fruits: Legumes borne in large, spike-shaped clusters, bean wrapped by a papery bract at the base and bearing a small, curved spike at the tip, generally indehiscent. Ecology: Found in wetted areas, mostly along drainage banks and bases, also on wooded or open slopes, from 5,000-6,500 ft (1524-1981); flowers in spring. Notes: A. californica twigs, petioles, and leaf rachis bearing spinelike glands - whereas A. fruticosa without spinelike glands.  Ethnobotany: Unknown Etymology: Amorpha comes from the Greek word amorphos for deformed, californica means of or from California. Synonyms: None Editor: LCrumbacher, 2011; D. Setaro, R. Madera 2024