Amorpha canescens (Leadplant)

Also known as Prairie Shoestring.

A small, deciduous shrub with multiple stems reaching about 1–3 ft. tall. Leaves are covered in dense, silver-gray hairs, giving the whole plant its characteristic grayish color and its common name. Purple flowers - each with a single petal and showy orange stamens that extend past it - cluster along the upper portions of the stems.

Leadplant is drought-tolerant and thrives in well-drained, sandy or rocky soils — tolerating conditions from somewhat acidic to alkaline, as well as some salinity. A deep, branching, woody taproot (4 ft. or deeper) makes it highly fire-resistant and it tolerates moderate grazing.

As a legume, it forms nitrogen-fixing root nodules, making it valuable for prairie restoration. Leadplant carries special value to native bees and other pollinating insects, and is highly palatable to both livestock and wildlife. Native American tribes brewed the leaves into a tea used medicinally for ailments such as pinworms, eczema, rheumatism, neuralgia, and wounds, and also smoked the dried leaves, sometimes mixed with buffalo fat.

AT A GLANCE

DISTRIBUTION MAPS 

USDA MAP

BONAP MAP

Present in state

Present in county and native

Native to North America, but adventive & escaped in state

Not present in state

Present and rare, native in county

Previously present, now extinct

Questionable presence (cross-hatched, regardless of color)