Piedmont Indigo-bush
Amorpha schwerinii
Found in forests and woodlands, primarily rather dry and rocky (though not exclusively so). Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you
77
Strong
Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 94%
- Height
- Up to about 6 feet
- Light
- Partial shade, Full sun
- Soil moisture
- Dry to moist
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Perennial
- Bloom
- April to June
- Fruiting season
- June to October
JFMAMJJASOND
Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves
Recorded in 7 Alabama counties.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food. 141 animals.
- Northern ParulaParula americana
- Northern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx serripennis
- Pine WarblerDendroica pinus
- Prothonotary WarblerProtonotaria citrea
- Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostra
- Red-shouldered HawkButeo lineatus
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- Rusty BlackbirdEuphagus carolinus
- Scarlet TanagerPiranga olivacea
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
- Snowy EgretEgretta thula
- Song SparrowMelospiza melodia
- Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
- Summer TanagerPiranga rubra
- Swainson's WarblerLimnothlypis swainsonii
- Swamp SparrowMelospiza georgiana
- White-crowned SparrowZonotrichia leucophrys
- Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata
- Wood DuckAix sponsa
- Worm-eating WarblerHelmitheros vermivorum
- Yellow-crowned Night-heronNyctanassa violacea
Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
26CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL
Genus host records with ranges including AL · Amorpha
- Epargyreus clarusSilver-spotted Skipper
- Achatia distinctaDistinct Quaker
- Agonopterix argillaceaClay-Colored Agonopterix
- Archips argyrospilaFruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
- Automeris ioIo Moth
- Catocala amestrisThree-Staff Underwing
- Catocala consorsThe Consort
- Catocala habilisHabilis Underwing
- Catocala illectaMagdalen Underwing
- Cecropterus lyciadesHoary Edge
Show all 26
- Cecropterus pyladesNorthern Cloudywing
- Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
- Dasylophia anguinaBlack-Spotted Prominent
- Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
- Iridopsis ephyrariaPale-Winged Gray
- Lithophane antennataAshen Pinion
- Pandemis limitataThree-Lined Leafroller Moth
- Parectopa robiniellaLocust Digitate Leafminer
- Platynota rostranaOmnivorous Platynota
- Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
- Schinia lucensAmorpha Flower Moth, Leadplant Moth, Flase Indigo Flower Moth
- Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
- Uresiphita reversalisGenista Caterpillar, Genista Cbroom Moth
- Zerene cesoniaSouthern Dogface
- Sinoe robiniella
- Sitochroa dasconalis
27BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Amorpha
Individual names are not available yet.
Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
3Specialist beesPollen specialists
Pollen specialists · Amorpha
- Andrena cragini
- Colletes susannae
- Hoplitis micheneri
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claimNo records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Flower color
- Purple
- Fruit begins
- June
- Fruit ends
- October
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “April to June” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- Flower color · “Purple” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Fruit begins · “June” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- Fruit ends · “October” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- Height · “Up to about 6 feet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Life cycle · “Perennial” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Light · “Partial shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- primary_flower_color · “purple” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Soil · “Dry; Moist (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Also known as
Amorpha schwerini; Piedmont Indigo bush
Conservation status
| Alabama rank | SNR |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G3G4 |
| AL status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
In your garden
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Choose a county to begin.
Sources
- Alabama Plant Atlas
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications