Amorpha

{{Short description|Genus of legumes}} {{For|the moth|Amorpha (moth)}} {{Automatic taxobox |image = Amorpha fruiticosa.jpg |image_caption = Desert false indigo (''Amorpha fruticosa'') |taxon = Amorpha |authority = L. |subdivision_ranks = Species |subdivision = 16; see text |synonyms = *''Bonafidia'' {{small|Neck. (1790), opus utique oppr.}} *''Monosemeion'' {{small|Raf. (1840)}} |synonyms_ref = <ref name = powo>[https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30017473-2 ''Amorpha'' L.] ''Plants of the World Online''. Retrieved 8 August 2023.</ref> }}

'''''Amorpha''''' is a genus of plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. All the species are native to North America, from southern Canada, most of the United States (US), and northern Mexico. They are commonly known as '''false indigo'''. The name ''Amorpha'' means "deformed" or "without form" in Greek and was given because flowers of this genus only have one petal, unlike the usual "pea-shaped" flowers of the Faboideae subfamily. ''Amorpha'' is missing the wing and keel petals.<ref>{{cite book | author = Gledhill D. | title = The Names of Plants | publisher = Cambridge University Press | year = 2008 | isbn = 978-0-521-86645-3 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=NJ6PyhVuecwC | access-date = 24 December 2008}}</ref>

The desert false indigo or indigo bush (''Amorpha fruticosa''), is a shrub that grows from 3 m to 5 m tall. The species is considered a rare species in the US state of West Virginia and in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario, but is considered an invasive plant in some areas of the northeastern and northwestern United States and in southeastern Canada, beyond its native range, and has also been introduced into Europe.

The lead plant (''Amorpha canescens''), a bushy shrub, is an important North American prairie legume. Lead plant is often associated with little bluestem (''Schizachyrium scoparium''), a common prairie grass. Native Americans used the dried leaves of lead plant for pipe smoking and tea.

''Amorpha'' species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including ''Schinia lucens'', which feeds exclusively on the genus.

Amorphol, a rotenoid bioside, can be isolated from plants of the genus ''Amorpha''.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Kasymov AU, Kondratenko ES, Abubakirov NK | year = 1974 | title = Structure of amorphol—A rotenoid bioside from plants of the genus ''Amorpha'' | journal = Chem Nat Compd | volume = 10 | issue = 4 | pages = 470–473 | doi = 10.1007/BF00563810 | bibcode = 1974CNatC..10..470K }}</ref>

==Species== ''Amorpha'' comprises the following species:<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.ildis.org/LegumeWeb?version~10.01&genus~Amorpha&species~ | title = ILDIS LegumeWeb entry for ''Amorpha'' | author =  | website = International Legume Database & Information Service | publisher = Cardiff School of Computer Science & Informatics | access-date = 7 July 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?541 | title = GRIN species records of ''Amorpha'' | author = USDA | author-link = USDA | author2 = ARS | author2-link = Agricultural Research Service | author3 = National Genetic Resources Program | website = Germplasm Resources Information Network—(GRIN) [Online Database] | publisher = National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland | access-date = 7 July 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150924121952/http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?541 | archive-date = 2015-09-24 | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name="PlantList">{{cite web | url = http://www.theplantlist.org/1.1/browse/A/Leguminosae/Amorpha/ | title = The Plant List entry for ''Amorpha'' | date = 2013 | website = The Plant List | publisher = Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Missouri Botanical Garden | access-date = 7 July 2014 }}</ref> [[File:Amorpha fruticosa-flowers.jpg|thumb|right|Flowers of ''Amorpha fruticosa'']]  * ''Amorpha apiculata'' Wiggins    * ''Amorpha californica'' Torr. & A. Gray—California false indigo, mock locust ** var. ''californica'' Torr. & A. Gray ** var. ''napensis'' Jeps. * ''Amorpha canescens'' Pursh—leadplant * ''Amorpha confusa'' (Wilbur) S.C.K. Straub, Sorrie & Weakley * ''Amorpha crenulata'' Rydb.<ref>Some sources treat ''Amorpha crenulata'' as a synonym (variety) of ''Amorpha herbacea''.</ref> (endangered)          * ''Amorpha fruticosa'' L.—desert false indigo * ''Amorpha georgiana'' Wilbur—Georgia false indigo * ''Amorpha glabra'' Desf. ex Pers.—mountain false indigo  * ''Amorpha herbacea'' Walter—clusterspike false indigo ** var. ''herbacea'' Walter ** var. ''floridana'' (Rydb.) Wilbur   * ''Amorpha laevigata'' Nutt.—smooth false indigo   * ''Amorpha nana'' Nutt.—dwarf false indigo * ''Amorpha nitens'' Boynton—shining false indigo  * ''Amorpha ouachitensis'' Wilbur—Ouachita false indigo  * ''Amorpha paniculata'' Torr. & A.Gray—panicled false indigo     * ''Amorpha roemeriana'' Scheele—Roemer's false indigo * ''Amorpha schwerinii'' C.K. Schneid.—Schwerin's false indigo

===Species names with uncertain taxonomic status=== The status of the following species is unresolved:<ref name="PlantList" /> {{div col|colwidth=300px}} * ''Amorpha arborea'' Schkuhr * ''Amorpha californica'' Nutt. * ''Amorpha coerulea'' Lodd. * ''Amorpha colorata'' Raf. * ''Amorpha crocea'' hort. ex Lavallée * ''Amorpha dealbata'' hort. ex Lavallée * ''Amorpha discolor'' Raf. * ''Amorpha elata'' Hayne * ''Amorpha elatior'' hort. ex Lavallée * ''Amorpha flexuosa'' Raf. * ''Amorpha gaertneri'' K.Koch * ''Amorpha gardneri'' K.Koch * ''Amorpha glauca'' Raf. * ''Amorpha incana'' Engelm. * ''Amorpha laevigata'' Nutt. * ''Amorpha lewisii'' Lodd. ex Loudon * ''Amorpha ludoviciana'' hort. ex Lavallée * ''Amorpha ludwigii'' K.Koch * ''Amorpha lutea'' Raf. * ''Amorpha macrophyla'' Raf. * ''Amorpha marginata'' hort. ex Lavallée * ''Amorpha mimosifolia'' Voss * ''Amorpha nana'' Nutt. * ''Amorpha nonperforata'' Schkuhr * ''Amorpha ornata'' Wender. * ''Amorpha pedalis'' Blanco * ''Amorpha perforata'' Schkuhr * ''Amorpha rabiae'' Lex. * ''Amorpha retusa'' Raf. * ''Amorpha sensitiva'' Voss * ''Amorpha tenesseensis'' Schult. * ''Amorpha tomentosa'' Raf. * ''Amorpha verrucosa'' Raf. {{div col end}}

===Hybrids=== The following hybrid has been described:<ref name="PlantList" /> * ''Amorpha × notha'' E.J.Palmer

==References== {{Reflist|2}}

==External links== *{{Wikispecies-inline}} *{{Commons category-inline|Amorpha (Fabaceae)}}

Category:Amorpha Category:Fabaceae genera Category:Flora of the Nearctic realm