Leadplant is a semi-erect native perennial forb growing 1 to 3 feet high, on branching stems which become woody with age. New stems are green and finely hairy.

The leaves are compound, pinnately divided into 13 to 25 pairs of leaflets plus a terminal leaflet. Leaflets are ovate, about 1/2 inch long and half as wide. The leaf undersides and stems are covered with small whitish hairs, which as the leaf ages, give the plant a grayish hue, hence the common name referring to 'lead.' The prominent central leaflet vein extends beyond the rounded tip of the leaflet, forming a sharp point.

The inflorescence consists of spike-like clusters (5 to 20) of small flowers at the ends of the stems. The weight of the spikes tends to cause the plant to tilt over, making it 'semi-erect.'

The flowers are 5-parted with a 5-toothed purplish hairy calyx and a corolla which has a single petal that forms first a tube and then opens horizontally - looks like a small mouth; initially shielded beneath it are the 8 stamens, pistil and style. This petal is the typical banner petal of a pea family flower. The laterals and keel petals are missing. The corolla varies in color from blue to purple. The protruding bright stamens are quite noticeable with reddish filaments and yellow-orange anthers.

Seed: Fertile flowers produce an oblong, curved hard seedpod containing 1, or sometimes 2, seeds. Seeds require a short period of cold stratification for germination.

Habitat: Leadplant is a shrub of the uplands and prairies. It is highly drought tolerant due to a deep tap root, which also makes transplanting a poor idea. Full sun is needed for sturdy flowering plants but a variety of soils are tolerated in mesic to dry moisture conditions. The lower stems are woody and on the prairie, periodic burns rejuvenate the plant; in the home garden it will be necessary to periodically prune out old wood. It is a common native prairie inhabitant.

Names: The genus Amorpha, comes from the Greek amorphos, meaning 'shapeless or deformed' and refers to the single petal flower. The species canescens is from the Latin and refers to the whitish or hoary color tinge from the fine leaf and stem hair and from which comes the common name of 'lead' plant. The alternate name 'Devil's Shoestrings' comes from the deep roots which farmers were never able to plough out. The author name for the plant classification - ‘Pursh’ is for Frederick Traugott Pursh (1774-1820) German-American botanist who wrote A Systematic Arrangement and Description of the Plants of North America, and was the botanist who catalogued and described the plants brought back by the exploring expedition of Lewis and Clark. Pursh was disliked by American botanists because he took some of these plants to New York with him and later to London treating them as his own property. He did the same years later with much material collected by Thomas Nuttall, writing it up with no credit to Nuttall.

Comparisons: Leadplant is one of three Amorphas found in Minnesota. The other two are A. fruticosa, Desert False Indigo, which is a much taller plant, growing to 12 feet, leaves 4 to 8 inches long, and generally found in the moist soils of river banks; second is A. nana, Fragrant False Indigo, which is a shorter plant with pinkish flowers, no hair on the calyx and much less hair on the leaves.