Amorpha fruticosa 'False Indigo'

Fabaceae/Leguminosae: a vigorous deciduous shrub of spreading habit to 4m. found on river banks, rich moist thickets, grows chiefly in limestone soils. The slender racemes to 15cm in length, of deep purple flowers with orange anthers, blooming in July. The leaves are pinnate, composed of up to 30 oval leaflets. Native to Southern North America. Locally naturalized in Southern and Central Europe.

USES:

The crushed fruit is used as a condiment.

The plant contains some indigo pigment and can be used to make a blue dye.

GROWING INFORMATION:

Although False Indigo seeds have no real dormancy to break down the seeds have a very hard, water-impermeable seed coat and require pre-treatment for successful germination to occur. Without pre-treatment, it is likely that 10% or less of the seeds will germinate. A combination of a variety of seed pre-treatments may be necessary to make the seed coat permeable so that the seed embryo can take up water and begin to germinate.

The first (and easiest) method is place the seeds in a heat proof container and pour hot (not boiling!) water 70-80°C over them and leave them to soak for between 12-24 hours allowing the water to cool to room temperature.

Seeds that have been successfully pre-treated will have swollen to around 2-3 times their previous size. Remove all swollen seeds as these will be damaged by further pre-treatments. These can be sown immediately. This hot water treatment can be repeated up to 3 times, making the water a little hotter each time. Seeds that remain small need to be dried for further treatment.

The remaining method is to physically breakthrough the seed coat by cutting or nicking the edge of the seed with a knife or using a file or even rubbing them between layers of fine sandpaper. These methods can be used to break through the seed coat. Once you have done this soak the seeds in cold water for 12-24 hours and successfully treated seeds will have imbibed water and swollen greatly.

Any that have not could be scarified again followed by another water soak. Sow all the seeds, even those that remain small as they may germinate later

Once the seeds have become swollen with water germination is quite rapid and if the seeds are kept at room temperature and germination should take place in 7-10 days.

Sow the seeds individually in pots filled with good quality compost and cover with just a very fine layer of compost, gently firm and water. The seedlings should appear quickly if they are kept in a warm place.

Keep the young plants weed free and adequately watered and in a warm, sunny position. Do not over water at any time or maintain a very high humidity or the seedlings could rot. Growth in the first year can exceed 40cm and large seedlings can be planted in their permanent positions during the dormant season. Smaller seedlings may need another year of growth.

Prefers a light well-drained sandy soil in sun or light shade. Plants are wind resistant. A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -25°C. The flowers have a vanilla perfume. Plants resent root disturbance; they should be planted out into their final positions whilst small.

HARVESTED: 2022

 

APPROX. 100+ SEEDS