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Amorpha herbacea var. floridana (Rydb.) Wilbur
Florida Leadbush
Federal Protection: No US federal protection
State Protection: No Georgia state protection
Global Rank: G4TNRQ
State Rank: S1
Element Locations Tracked in Biotics: Yes
SWAP 2015 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): Yes
SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): No
2025 SGCN Priority Tier:
Element Occurrences (EOs) in Georgia: 4
Habitat Summary for element in Georgia: River terraces along the Alapaha River
Perennial, deciduous shrub with hairless stems 1.3 - 5 feet (0.4 - 1.5 meters) tall. Leaves are alternate, smooth or nearly so, with 21 - 45 leaflets, each leaflet 0.4 - 1.2 inch (1 - 3 cm) long, oval, elliptic, or oblong and tipped with a tiny, round, glandular knob; the leaflet margins are rolled under. Flower clusters are held at the ends of branches, with one to several spike-like racemes up to 1 foot tall (30 cm), each raceme crowded with flowers opening from the bottom of the raceme up. Flowers consist of a reddish, smooth or hairy, 5-lobed calyx (2 - 3.5 mm long), a single white or purple petal, and 10 long, white, orange-tipped stamens extending beyond the petal. Fruit is a hairless, one-seeded pod about 0.2 inch (0.4 - 0.6 cm) long, green turning brown at maturity.
Dwarf Indigo-bush (Amorpha herbacea var. herbacea) has conspicuously hairy stems, leaves, calyxes, and (usually) fruits. Its leaves have 21 - 45 leaflets with inrolled margins and round, glandular knobs at the tips. Its petals are white or purple. Its fruits are slightly or not hairy. Except for the degree of hairiness, this variety is indistinguishable from A. herbacea var. floridana (see photo below).
Indigo-bush (Amorpha fruticosa) is a common shrub, 3 - 12 feet (1 - 4 m) tall, occurring statewide on riverbanks and marshy shores, and in forests, woodlands, and disturbed sites. Its leaves and stems are slightly to very hairy. It has 9 - 23 leaflets per leaf, and the midvein of the leaflet extends into a pointed or swollen tip; the margins of the leaflets are not inrolled. Its flowers are purple. Its fruits are usually not hairy.
Appalachian Indigo-bush (Amorpha glabra) occurs in dry ridgeline and slope forests in the Blue Ridge, upper eastern Piedmont, and Coastal Plain in Georgia. It is 3 - 6 feet tall, with hairless stems and leaves. It has 9 - 19 leaflets, often bearing a slightly enlarged, gland-like tip, and the margins are not inrolled. Its flowers are purple. Its fruits are not hairy.
Georgia Indigo Bush (Amorpha georgiana) occurs in pine flatwoods and on sandy stream terraces in the Coastal Plain. It is less than 3 feet (1 m) tall. Its stems and leaves are hairless or nearly so. There are 13 - 39 leaflets per leaf, each tipped with a tiny, sharp point that is sometimes capped with a round gland. Its flowers are purple or blue. Its fruits are not hairy. For more information, see: https://www.georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=16161
Shining Indigo-bush (Amorpha nitens) occurs on rocky, wooded slopes and in alluvial forests in several counties throughout Georgia (except for Blue Ridge counties). It is 3 - 6 feet (1 - 2 meters) tall with hairy stems and leaves. Its leaves have 7 - 19 lustrous leaflets that usually have an extended, tapering midvein tip and are not inrolled along the margins. Its flowers are purple. Its fruits are not hairy. For more information, see: https://www.georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=19342
Schwerin's Indigo-bush (Amorpha schwerinii) occurs in rocky upland woods in the Piedmont. It is 3-12 feet (1-4 meters) tall. Its stems, leaves, and calyxes are hairy. It has 9-29 leaflets with the midvein extending beyond the tip into a round gland; the leaflet margins are not inrolled or only slightly so. Its flowers are purple, and the fruits are hairy. For more information, see: https://www.georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=15978
In Georgia, Florida Leadbush has been found on sandy terraces along the Alapaha River near the Florida border. In Florida, it occurs in sandy pine flatwoods and coastal scrub.
There is little published information about the life history of Florida Lead-bush (or of its close relative, A. herbacea var. herbacea). Common Indigo-bush (Amorpha fruticosa), another close relative, is pollinated by bees seeking both pollen and nectar from the flowers, including the bee Andrena quintilis, a specialist pollinator of Amorpha species. The caterpillars of Gray Hairstreak, Silver-spotted Skipper, and Southern Dogface butterflies, as well as those of Black-spotted Prominent moths, use Common Indigo-bush leaves as food; it is possible they also use other species of Amorpha as host plants. As with many species in the legume family (Fabaceae), nitrogen-fixing bacteria live in nodules on the roots of Amorpha species. Zasada and Martineau (2008) describe the procedures for collection, storage, and planting of seeds from Amorpha species.
Florida Lead-bush is most conspicuous when it flowers, June–September, and fruits, July–October. It is distinguished from similar species largely on the basis of leaf and stem traits so may be identified throughout the growing season.
Florida Lead-bush occurs in north Florida and in one county in Georgia on the Florida border.
Logging, conversion of habitat to pine plantations or development, fire suppression, impoundments.
Florida Lead-bush is ranked S1 by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, indicating that it is critically imperiled in Georgia. It was documented at only three sites in Georgia from 1985-1994, all on privately owned land in a single county. Two of these sites have been destroyed by bridge construction and sand mining in the last decade.
Protect pine flatwoods, river terraces, sandhills and other dry, open Coastal Plain woodlands from logging, sand mining, and conversion to pine plantations, pasture, and development. Apply prescribed fire to flatwoods and sandhills every 2-3 years. Conduct further surveys in Echols and surrounding Georgia counties.
GADNR. 2019. Element occurrence records for Amorpha herbacea var. floridana. Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division. Social Circle, Georgia.
Hilty, J. 2019. Species account for Amorpha fruticosa. Illinois Wildflowers. Accessed 3 July 2019. https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/trees/plants/false_indigo.htmhttps://www.illinoiswildflowers.info
Isley, D. 1990. Leguminosae (Fabaceae), volume 3, part 2, Vascular flora of the southeastern United States. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill.
Weakley, A.S. 2015. Flora of the southern and mid-Atlantic States. University of North Carolina Herbarium, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Wilbur, R.L. 1964. A revision of the dwarf species of Amorpha (Leguminosae). Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 80(2): 51-65. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24334854?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
Wilbur, R.L. 1975. A revision of the North American genus Amorpha (Leguminosae-Psoraleae). Rhodora 77: 337-409. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23311397?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
Linda G. Chafin
Linda G. Chafin, 15 July 2019: original account
