Amorpha canescens

What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves - tea

Dried leaves can be brewed into an infusion that makes a pleasant-tasting yellow-coloured tea. The plant also yields an oil.

Where to Find It

A cool temperate plant. It suits hardiness zones 2-9.

Asia, Australia, Canada, Korea, North America, USA,

How to Identify

A deciduous shrub. It grows 90 cm high and spreads 90 cm wide. The leaves are made up of leaflets along the stalk. The leaves are grey-green and the twigs are hairy. The flowers are crowded on one side of the stalk. They are purple or blue. The fruit are seed pods.

How to Grow

Prefers a light well-drained sandy soil in sun or light shade. Tolerant of poor dry soils, plants can be invasive in rich soils. Wind resistant. A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -25c but it frequently dies down to ground level in the winter, resprouting from the base in the following spring. A very ornamental plant. A deep rooted plant, it thrives best in hot, droughty seasons. It only ripens its seed in fine autumns. Immune to insect pests, the plant contains its own insecticide. At one time this plant was supposed to indicate the presence of lead in the soil. There is some confusion over the correct author of the Latin name of this plant. It is probably Pursh. as stated on the top of this sheet, but some books cite Nutt. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby.

Propagation: Seed — presoak for 12 hours in warm water and sow in early spring in a greenhouse. Germination usually occurs within 1–2 months at 20°C. When large enough to handle, prick seedlings out into individual pots and grow on in the greenhouse for their first winter, then plant out in late spring or early summer after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood can be taken in June/July in a frame with a high success rate. Cuttings of mature wood from the current season's growth can be taken in autumn in a sheltered position outdoors, though these take 12 months to root. Suckers can be taken in spring just before new growth begins. Layering is also possible in spring.

Medicinal Uses

A leaf infusion has been used to kill pinworms and other intestinal worms, and to treat eczema (though whether it is used internally or externally for this purpose is not recorded). The dried, powdered leaves are applied as a salve to cuts and open wounds. A decoction of the root is used to treat stomach pains. A moxa made from the twigs has been used in the treatment of neuralgia and rheumatism.

Other Uses

Plants have an extensive root system, tolerate poor dry soils, and are wind resistant, making them useful as a windbreak and for preventing soil erosion. Resinous pustules on the plant contain 'amorpha', a contact and stomachic insecticide that also acts as an insect repellent. Special uses include nitrogen fixing and food forest applications.

Amorpha canescens, known as leadplant, downy indigo bush, prairie shoestring, or buffalo bellows, is a small, perennial semi-shrub in the pea family (Fabaceae), native to North America. It has very small purple flowers with yellow stamens which are grouped in racemes. Depending on location, the flowers bloom from late June through mid-September. The compound leaves of this plant appear leaden (the reason for the common name "leadplant") due to their dense hairiness. The roots can grow up to 5 m (16 ft) deep and can spread up to 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) radially. This plant can be found growing in well-drained soils of prairies, bluffs, and open woodlands.

Notes

There are 15 Amorpha species. They are shrubs in North America.

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