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copied from Amorpha canescens

Amorpha canescens (Amorpha brachycarpa, Leadplant, Leadplant amorpha, Downy indigo bush, Prairie shoestring, Buffalo bellows) is a 30 – tall perennial semi-shrub in the Pea family (Fabaceae) that is native to North America. It has very small purple flowers with yellow stamens which are grouped in racemes. Depending on location, the flowers bloom from late June through mid-September. The compound leaves of this plant appear leaden (the reason for the common name "leadplant" ) due to their dense hairiness. The roots can grow up to 5 m deep and can spread up to 1 m radially. This plant can be found growing in well drained soils of prairies, bluffs, and open woodlands.

Leadplant was used by various Indigenous Peoples for a multitude of different purposes. It is also provides many benefits to the ecosystems it is a part of.

Uses
Leadplant is and has been used for a variety of different purposes. Indigenous Peoples such as the Oglala used the plant for medicinal purposes. Some indigenous tribes believed that the plant could aide in treating pinworms, eczema, rheumatism, neuralgia, open wounds, and cuts. The leaves of the plant were also used to make a tea and as a smoking mixture when dried, crushed and combined with buffalo fat.

Taxonomy
Amorpha canescens was described for science by Frederick Pursh in 1814. Amorpha canescens falls under Papilionoideae subfamily of the Fabaceae family. The other two subfamilies are the Mimosoideae and the Caesalpinioideae. There has been further delineation beyond species of the Amorpha canescens into distinct variants (such as the A. canescens var. glabrata) based on the amount of hairs and color of the leaves, however this further distinction is not typically made due to the wide variation in pubescence of the plant.

Where to find it
The Amorpha canescens can be found in many locations throughout North America, ranging from southern parts of Canada to the northern edge of Mexico and spanning east from Montana to Michigan. The Leadplant is typically found in dry prairie, savanah and grassland regions.

Canescens is a botanical Latin term meaning "becoming grey".