Amorpha californica Nutt.
False indigo
Family: Fabaceae
Habit: Deciduous shrub with gland-dotted, heavily scented foliage, 1.5 to 3 m. high.
Distribution: Found in dry, wooded or brushy slopes below 7500 ft. in yellow pine forests and chaparral of the foothills and mountain ranges in California, Arizona, and northern Baja California.
Seed unit: Pod, 1- to 2-seeded, exceeding the calyx; indehiscent, 6-8 mm. long, gland-dotted.
Seed: 3 to 4 mm.; oblong or curved, rounded and broadened at apex. Olive green to brownish, smooth.
Embryo: Foliar embryo.
Purity instructions: Pure seed definition:
AOSA: PSU #9 – Intact pod, with or without calyx, whether or not a seed is present. Piece of broken pod larger than one-half of the original size unless no seed is present. Seed with at least a portion of the seed coat attached. Broken seed larger than one-half the original size with at least a portion of the seed coat attached.
Lab notes: Insect damage on seeds and insect holes in pods usually present.
Average pure seed units per gram: 92 seeds per gram (based on AOSA pure seed units only from 6 samples received for testing from 1994 to 2003).
Range of percent pure seed: 96% to 99%
Range of percent inert: 1% to 3%
Description of inert: Plant material, broken seed, dead insects.
Planting instructions: 400 seeds, T, 21 days @ 20-30°C; for fresh and dormant seed, prechill recommended.
References: (link to main reference page)
Hickman, J.C., Ed. 1993. p. 583.
Munz, P.A. and D.D. Keck. 1968. p. 852.
Ransom Seed Laboratory
