# leadplant (*Amorpha canescens*) Leadplant is a lovely shrub with soft, gray-green leaves and beautiful purple flowers. It grows in sunny places and helps attract butterflies to gardens. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 15 - **Habitat:** Grasslands ![leadplant](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/File-Scientific_name-_Amorpha_canescens_-_native%253B-Alternate_names-_Leadplant_amorpha%252C_prairie_shoestring%252C_buffalo_bellows%252C_downy_%28a6a5bb7d-3f1c-4c3c-9c50-565bd74c8e13%29.JPG&width=800) Photo: NPS Photo, Public domain · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:File-Scientific_name-_Amorpha_canescens_-_native%253B-Alternate_names-_Leadplant_amorpha%252C_prairie_shoestring%252C_buffalo_bellows%252C_downy_%28a6a5bb7d-3f1c-4c3c-9c50-565bd74c8e13%29.JPG) ## Appearance The leadplant is a bushy, upright perennial with distinctive silvery-green leaves, giving it a soft, fuzzy appearance. Its tall, slender flower spikes are densely packed with small, bright purple flowers, each featuring prominent orange anthers that make them stand out. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Fabales - **Family:** Fabaceae - **Genus:** Amorpha ## Interesting facts - Even after a prairie fire, leadplant quickly regrows from its deep, hidden roots! - It has unusual flowers with only one petal, making it stand out from many other pea family plants. - Its leaves feel surprisingly soft, like velvet, due to tiny hairs covering their surfaces! - The 'lead' in its name comes from the unique, dull, grayish-green color of its foliage. ## Special abilities - **Soil Supercharger:** Leadplant can partner with tiny soil bacteria that help convert nitrogen from the air into plant food, enriching the soil for everyone. - **Drought Master:** Leadplant has an incredibly deep taproot that can reach water far underground, helping it survive long dry periods. - **Fire Survivor:** Leadplant can quickly resprout from its robust root system after prairie fires, making it a tough survivor. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 30-100 cm - **Spread:** 30-90 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.5-1 cm - **Bloom Season:** Summer - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** [Common Eastern Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-eastern-bumble-bee) (*Bombus impatiens*) — Collects nectar and pollen from its flowers. - **Pollinates:** [Monarch butterfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/monarch-butterfly) (*Danaus plexippus*) — Feeds on nectar, helping to spread pollen. - **Eaten by:** [Silvery Checkerspot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/silvery-checkerspot) (*Chlosyne nycteis*) — Its larvae feed on the leaves and stems of leadplant. - **Eaten by:** [White-tailed deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-tailed-deer) (*Odocoileus virginianus*) — Browses on its leaves and tender shoots. ## Traits - [Deciduous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/deciduous): Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons. - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Nitrogen Fixing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nitrogen-fixing): Describes organisms capable of converting atmospheric nitrogen into compounds usable by plants. - [Shrub](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shrub): A shrub is a woody plant smaller than a tree, typically with multiple stems branching from or near the ground. - [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished. - [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense. - [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always look but don't touch plants unless you know they are safe. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify leadplant? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is leadplant? 30-100 cm ### How wide does leadplant spread? 30-90 cm ### How big are the flowers on leadplant? 0.5-1 cm ### When does leadplant bloom? Summer ### Is leadplant edible? No ### Is leadplant toxic? None ### What is leadplant's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Haskell-Baker Wetlands](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/haskell-baker-wetlands) — Kansas, US · Nature Reserve - [Shaw Nature Reserve](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/shaw-nature-reserve) — Missouri, US · Botanical Garden - [University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/university-of-wisconsin-madison-arboretum) — Wisconsin, US · Botanical Garden - [William O'Brien State Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/william-obrien-state-park) — Minnesota, US · State Park - [Black Earth Rettenmund Prairie State Natural Area](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/black-earth-rettenmund-prairie-state-natural-area) — Wisconsin, US · State Park - [Brady's Bluff Prairie State Natural Area](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/bradys-bluff-prairie-state-natural-area) — Minnesota, US · State Park [View all places to see leadplant](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/leadplant) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Leadplant: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/leadplant)