False Indigo, Bare Root

False Indigo (Amorpha fruticosa)

A woody native shrub with fine-textured leaves and upright purple flower spikes. This is indigo bush, not the herbaceous Baptisia plants also called false indigo.

Key Characteristics

Flowers and caterpillar habitat

Golden anthers stand out against the purple flowers. Leaves support silver-spotted skipper and gray hairstreak caterpillars.

A working shrub layer

Root nodules support nitrogen-fixing bacteria, making this a useful element in mixed habitat plantings. It tolerates varied moisture conditions and can help fill a streambank or rain-garden margin.

Give the colony room

Suckers and seedlings can form a broad thicket. Place it where expansion is welcome and remove unwanted shoots along paths or planting edges.

Product Details

• Native range / origin: North America
• Plant type: Deciduous perennial shrub
• Sun: Full Sun; Part Sun/Shade
• Soil moisture: Wet; Medium-Wet; Medium; Medium-Dry; Dry; see site guidance above.
• Mature height: 6–12 feet
• Bloom: April–May–June; Purple, Blue, Yellow
• Fruit / seed: Small dry pods; grown for flowers and habitat, not edible fruit.
• Pollination: No companion required for its ornamental or habitat role.
• Hardiness: USDA zones 4–9
• Stock: 6-18" Seedling.

Planting and Ongoing Care

Keep bare roots moist until planting, spread roots naturally, and water thoroughly. Maintain a mulched area clear of grass, with mulch pulled away from stems. Base feeding on a soil test; our Tree Planting Kit fertilizer blend is optional and should be used according to its label, away from direct contact with bare roots.

Usually has few serious pest problems. Thin crowded stems if airflow declines; avoid spraying flowers or harmless caterpillar feeding.