Amorpha fruticosa is a species of flowering plant in the Fabaceae (legume) family. Plant is native to North America; found throughout eastern Canada, most of the continental United States and northern Mexico. Its native habitats include stream and pond edges, open woods, roadsides and canyons. The plant was introduced in Europe, Asia, and other continents as an ornamental plant, but escaped to the wild. Genus’s name comes from the Greek word amorphos meaning   shapeless or deformed in reference to the corolla of this pea family genus lacking wings and a keel. Specific epithet fruticosa comes from the Latin word frutex meaning shrub in reference to its shrubby form. Plants contain indigo pigment, but in quantities too small for commercial use hence the common name of False Indigo-bush (The real indigo plant is Indigofera tinctoria) Plant alludes to its use as a dye that produces an indigo pigment. It has also been used as a natural insecticide and insect repellent.

False Indigo-Bush is a deciduous, perennial shrub that typically grows to 120-400 cm (unusual 600 cm) tall with a spread often more than its height. It is a multi stemmed shrub, the lower stems are woody; the grey bark is relatively smooth with scattered small lenticels. The upper stems are dull light green and pubescent. Compound, odd-pinnate leaves are 12 cm long, each contains 11 to 35 spiny-tipped, oval to elliptic, dull grey-green leaflets.  Scattered translucent glands are visible that resemble small dots under the leaves. 1 cm long, tubular scented flowers bloom in May-June in dense, spike-shaped clusters of 10 cm long. Each flower has a single-petaled purple corolla and 10 protruding stamens with showy orange-yellow anthers. Flowers are followed by fruits in small, resinous-dotted, 1-2 seeded pods which mature in July and August.

Amorpha fruticosa grows in full sun to part shade and although it prefers light, well drained, sandy soils, it is very tolerant of a range of soils including clay. It tolerates occasional flooding as well as droughts. As a member of the Legume (Pea) Family, has symbiotic bacteria in nodules on their roots that fix atmospheric nitrogen allowing the plants to grow in extremely poor, sterile soils. They can spread by suckers or seeds and often form dense thickets making it an excellent choice for stabilizing riparian buffers and creating wildlife habitat. The plant is extremely hardy, withstands –25 ºC. It is registered amongst the most noxious invasive species in Europe. Therefore, False Indigo-Bush should not be introduced to new locations without a detailed risk assessment. Propagation is done by scarified seed and softwood or hardwood cuttings.

Use in Landscape: Amorpha fruticosa is a fast-growing, nitrogen-fixing shrub valued for soil erosion control, windbreaks, screens and pollinator support. It has been used as an ornamental shrub mainly, for its nice flowers. Ecologically, it is also highly regarded as a natural insecticide and dye source.

For medicinal purposes has been used, such as stomach pain, intestinal worms, eczema, neuralgia, and rheumatism.