Amorpha californica

Amorpha californica is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name California false indigo.

Amorpha californica
var. californica
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Amorpha
Species:
A. californica
Binomial name
Amorpha californica

It is native to California, Arizona, and northern Baja California, where it grows in the California chaparral and woodlands and other chaparral and oak woodlands habitats. It is generally considered an understory plant.[2]

Description

Amorpha californica is a glandular, thorn-less shrub with leaves made up of spiny, oval-shaped leaflets each tipped with a resin gland. The scattered inflorescences are spike-like racemes of flowers, each flower with a single violet petal and ten protruding stamens. The fruit is a legume pod containing usually a single seed.

Subspecies

The standard variety is Amorpha californica var. californica. Amorpha california var. napensis is a rare plant; it only grows around San Francisco and in the North Coast Ranges.[3]

Butterflies

The endemic California dogface butterfly larvae feed on Amorpha californica, along with the Southern dogface and the silver-spotted skipper.[2]

See also

References
  1. Contu, S. (2012). "Amorpha californica". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 208. e.T19892228A20005262. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012.RLTS.T19892228A20005262.en.
  2. "California False Indigo, Amorpha californica". calscape.org. Retrieved 2022-09-01.
  3. "Amorpha californica var. napensis". ucjeps.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2022-09-01.
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