Item Tag: Blue false indigo

I’m selling over 600 + kinds of seeds ( and also live plants during the warmer months ) so check my other auctions . You are bidding on about 30 INDIGO BUSH SEEDS – Amorpha fruticosa . Do not confuse with false indigo – Baptisia Australis . Indigobush is native from New Jersey, to Wisconsin, Minnesota and Wyoming and south to Florida, Texas, northern Mexico, Southern California to New Mexico and adjacent Mexico. This is a shrub that can grow as tall as 20 ft. high and its width is typically twice its height. The branches are firm and woody and the twigs are green and hairy. The leaves have 13 to 25 leaflets each. The leaflets are 1 to 2 inches long, resinous, dotted and hairy. Occasionally, clusters of 1-6 spike-like racemes of violet-purple flowers develop from the upper branches. Individual racemes are erect to ascending, 3-8″ long, and cylindrical in shape from the dense arrangement of flowers. Each flower is ¼” long . The fruit is about 1/4 inch long, curved, with resinous dots and contains two seeds each . This can become invasive .Medicinal use : None known Edible parts of False Indigo: The crushed fruit is used as a condiment. Other uses of False Indigo: Plants have an extensive root system and are also fairly wind tolerant, they can be planted as a windbreak and also to prevent soil erosion. Resinous pustules on the plant contain “amorpha”, a contact and stomachic insecticide that also acts as an insect repellent. The stems are used as bedding. The plant contains some indigo pigment and can be used to make a blue dye. Unfortunately, the pigment is only present in very small quantities, there is not enough to harvest commercially. Known hazards : The plant is said to contain alkaloids and be poisonous to livestock. See my store for 600+ seeds , live plants ( during the warmer months ) and over 300+ books on plants and gardening . I add new items every day and combine shipping whenever possible .