Amorpha canescens Pursh 

 LEADPLANT 



Fabaceae 



1. FEDERAL STATUS 



a. U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE: None. 



b. U.S. FOREST SERVICE: None. 



2. STATE: G5 SI (status undetennined). This study provides basis for changing the 

 rank to "SH" (known in the state only from historic records). 



B. DESCRIPTION 



1. GENERAL NONTECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: Lead plant is a shrub 

 with few to several, erect or ascending, simple or sparingly branched stems, 3- 

 8 dm (1-2 ft.) high (Figure 4). In marginal sites, the plant may die back to near 

 the base each year. The alternate leaves have a short petiole and 27-41 

 narrowly elliptic leaflets, 8-15 mm (ca. 0.5 in.) long. Foliage is covered with 

 very dense, short white hairs, giving the plant a hoary appearance. The bright 

 violet flowers are borne in dense spike-like inflorescences, 7-15 cm (3-6 in.) 

 long, arising on long stems from the leaf axils. Each small flower has a single 

 petal longer than the densely hairy calyx that is ca. 2 mm long. There are 10 

 stamens exerted beyond the petal, with a conspicuous orange color that 

 contrasts with the violet petal color. The glandular, hairy fruits are 4 mm long 

 and egg-shaped with a long beak. 



2. TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: Erect or ascendent shrub, often 

 rhizomatous, 3-8 dm tall; stems 1 -several, often branched, usually tomentose 

 but becoming glabrate. Leaves alternate, odd-pinnate; leaflets 13-20 pairs plus 

 1 ; leaflet blades ovate-oblong, oblong-elliptic, or rarely ovate, usually 

 canescent, marginally entire or slightly revolute, apex obtuse to broadly 

 rounded or emarginate with a slender brownish mucro, basally obtuse or 

 rounded; petioles 0.5-3 mm long, densely pubescent; stipules inconspicuous, 

 caducous, 1-3.5 mm long, pustular glands absent; petiolules 0.5-1 rrmi long, 

 stipules acicular. Inflorescence of several racemes in axils of upper leaves and 

 forming a compound cluster, mostly 3-30 or more in number; racemes densely 

 flowered, turbinate, ca. 2 mm long, densely pubescent, hairs somewhat 

 obscuring resinous glands, lobes 5, triangular lanceolate; petal I, bright violet, 

 broadly obcordate, with a slender claw, incurved and enclosing stamens and 

 pistil; stamens 10, lower 2 mm of filaments united into a tube; ovary ca. 1 mm 

 long, densely pilose, style 4-6 mm long, densely antrorse pubescent. Legume 



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