Amorpha canescens

Lead Plant

A small shrubby prairie plant with tight spikes of iridescent purple and orange flowers appear from May to August. Lead Plant is naturally found in dry to mesic prairies and in open, upland savannas through most of the tallgrass region. Silver-green foliage is quite handsome. Leadplant is in the legume family so it fixes nitrogen in the soil. Because of its long, stringy roots, it is sometimes called Prairie Shoestring.

Additional Information:

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Height
12-36 Inches

Spread
12-36 Inches

Bloom/Seasonal Color
Purple

USDA Hardiness Zone 2-8

Home Owner Growing and Maintenance Tips:
Grow in full sun.

Good Companions

Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), Lanceleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata), Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Missouri Primrose (Oenothera macrocarpa), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Pale Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida), Ox-eye Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides)

Characteristics & Attributes

Hydrologic Designation

•

UPL

Nature Attracting

•	Beneficial Insects
•	Butterfly

Root

•

Taproot

Season of Interest

•	Late (July-frost)
•	Mid (May-June)

Soil Moisture

•	Average
•	Moderate

Sun Exposure

•	Full Sun
•	Medium Sun/Average Shade

USFS MO Ecological Map

•	Central Dissected Till Plain
•	Ozark Highlands
•	Osage Plains
•	Mississippi Aluvial Basin

Wildlife Benefit

•	Butterfly Nectar