Amorpha canescens
Encyclopedia
Amorpha canescens is a 1–3 feet (30–90 cm) tall deciduous
shrub in the Pea family (Fabaceae
) that is native to North America
. It has very small purple flowers which are grouped in racemes. The compound leaves of this plant appear leaden due to their dense hairiness. The roots can grow deeper than 4 feet (1.2m). This plant can be found growing in well drained soils of prairies, bluffs, and open woodlands.
Leadplant was used by various Indigenous Peoples
to treat a number of medical problems. In addition the Oglala
used the leaves both as a tea and as a smoking mixture when combined with buffalo
fat.
Amorpha canescens was described for science by Frederick Pursh in 1814. Canescens is a botanical Latin term meaning "becoming grey".
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
shrub in the Pea family (Fabaceae
Fabaceae
The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species...
) that is native to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. It has very small purple flowers which are grouped in racemes. The compound leaves of this plant appear leaden due to their dense hairiness. The roots can grow deeper than 4 feet (1.2m). This plant can be found growing in well drained soils of prairies, bluffs, and open woodlands.
Leadplant was used by various Indigenous Peoples
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
to treat a number of medical problems. In addition the Oglala
Oglala Lakota
The Oglala Lakota or Oglala Sioux are one of the seven subtribes of the Lakota people; along with the Nakota and Dakota, they make up the Great Sioux Nation. A majority of the Oglala live on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, the eighth-largest Native American reservation in the...
used the leaves both as a tea and as a smoking mixture when combined with buffalo
American Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
fat.
Amorpha canescens was described for science by Frederick Pursh in 1814. Canescens is a botanical Latin term meaning "becoming grey".