Lead Plant (Amorpha canescens)

Lead Plant (Amorpha canescens)Estimated Height at Pickup: 1 2', 3 gal A. k. a. downy false indigo and prairie shoestring. A small, purple blooming shrub for those hard to fill dry sites! Slow to establish as they put down an extensive taproot, but fix nitrogen in the soil and have a blue gray leaf color that lends texture to plantings. Perfect to pair with New Jersey Tea! Pollination: Likely self pollinating. Light: Full Sun Soil Moisture: Mesic, Dry Mesic, Dry Soil Type:

Perfect for a wet border with fall interest

Can be pruned to encourage more blooms

Width: 4’-8’

pileated woodpeckers

Fruit: Spiky round capsules contain dozens of seeds

this cousin of black walnut is listed as ‘Endangered’ on the ICUN Red List

but occasionally browsed by native herbivores such as deer

just put on the entire belt

Individual trunks are only live ~50 years

Foliage is favored by herbivores and may need protection from browsing

Fruits are edible

Fruit: Green berries mature to red/purple in the summer