''Amorpha canescens'', known as leadplant, downy indigo bush, prairie shoestring, or buffalo bellows, is a small, perennial semi-shrub in the pea family (
), native to
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
.
It has very small purple flowers with yellow
stamen
The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...
s
which are grouped in
racemes
A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...
.
Depending on location, the flowers bloom from late June through mid-September.
[Penskar, M.R. 2008. Special Plant Abstract for leadplant (Amorpha canescens). Michigan Natural Features Inventory, Lansing, MI. 4 pp.] The compound leaves of this plant appear leaden
(the reason for the common name "leadplant"
) due to their dense hairiness. The roots can grow up to deep and can spread up to radially.
This plant can be found growing in well-drained soils of prairies, bluffs, and open woodlands.
Description
Typically between tall, leadplant can be identified by its small purple flowers grouped in long spikes and its grey-green leaflets that are alternate and pinnately compound. The plant produces fruits in the form of hairy
legume
A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock f ...
s each with one seed inside. The flower and leafing pattern is similar to ''
Amorpha fruticosa'', however, ''A. canescens'' typically only grows to be high and prefers drier habitats whereas ''A. fruticosa'' can grow to be high and lives in wetter areas.
Uses
Leadplant is used for a variety of different purposes.
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
such as the
Oglala
The Oglala (pronounced , meaning "to scatter one's own" in Lakota language) are one of the seven subtribes of the Lakota people who, along with the Dakota, make up the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Seven Council Fires). A majority of the Oglala live o ...
use the plant for medicinal purposes.
[Species account from Native American Ethnobotany (University of Michigan - Dearborn)](_blank)
Retrieved 2010-03-26 Some indigenous tribes believed that the plant could aide in treating
pinworms,
eczema
Dermatitis is inflammation of the Human skin, skin, typically characterized by itchiness, erythema, redness and a rash. In cases of short duration, there may be small blisters, while in long-term cases the skin may become lichenification, thick ...
,
rheumatism
Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including art ...
, neuralgia, open wounds, and cuts. The leaves of the plant were also used to make a tea and as a smoking mixture when dried, crushed and combined with
buffalo fat.
It is also provides many benefits to the ecosystems it is a part of, for example it provides valuable nutrition for grazing animals and helps prevent soil erosion.
Leadplant may also be used in landscaping and gardening purposes due to its
nitrogen fixing
Nitrogen fixation is a chemical process by which molecular nitrogen (), with a strong triple covalent bond, in the Atmosphere of Earth, air is converted into ammonia () or related nitrogenous compounds, typically in soil or aquatic systems but al ...
qualities and ability to help prevent erosion.
Its nodulated roots are home to
nitrogen fixing bacteria which help the plants grow.
Taxonomy
''Amorpha canescens'' was described by
Frederick Pursh
Frederick Traugott Pursh (or Friedrich Traugott Pursch) (February 4, 1774 – July 11, 1820) was a German–American botanist.
Born in Großenhain, Saxony, under the name Friedrich Traugott Pursh, he was educated at Dresden Botanical Gardens, and ...
in 1814. It falls under subfamily Papilionoideae of the family
.
The specific epithet "canescens" is a
botanical Latin
Botanical Latin is a technical language based on New Latin, used for descriptions of botanical taxa. Until 2012, International Code of Botanical Nomenclature mandated Botanical Latin to be used for the descriptions of most new taxa. It is still the ...
term meaning "becoming grey". There have been further delineation beyond species of ''Amorpha canescens'' into distinct variants (such as the ''A. canescens var. glabrata'') based on the amount of hairs and color of the leaves, however this further distinction is not typically accepted due to the wide variation in pubescence of the plant.
Distribution and habitat
''Amorpha canescens'' can be found in many locations throughout North America, ranging from southern parts of Canada south to Texas and New Mexico and spanning west to Montana and east to Michigan.
Leadplant is typically found in dry
prairie and
savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...
communities
Leadplant prefers drier, well-drained soil of many different textures including sandy, gravely, and rocky soils.
Finding leadplant indicates minimal livestock
grazing
In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to roam around and consume wild vegetations in order to convert the otherwise indigestible (by human gut) cellulose within grass and other ...
and well-kept land that is not overgrown or that has experienced regular
fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products.
At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...
.
References
External links
USDA Plants Profile for ''Amorpha canescens'' (leadplant)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2074094
canescens
Flora of the North-Central United States
Flora of the United States
Flora of the South-Central United States
Flora of the Great Plains (North America)
Flora of the Canadian Prairies
Plants described in 1814
Taxa named by Frederick Traugott Pursh
Plants used in traditional Native American medicine