Monday, June 8, 2020

Schott's Indigo Bush

Schott's indigo bush (Psorothamnus shottii), also known as Schott's dalea, is found in the Sonoran Deserts of California (the Colorado Desert), Arizona and norther Mexico. 

It is a shrub with highly branching stems that are green to woolly gray-green and glandular. 

The flowers are a deep purple-blue and the fruit is a legume pod coated in glands and containing one seed.  

I never did see the flowers in their prime and I am not certain of this identification. 
What was fun was that I found the legume, assuming that is the seed (but it could be the pod). This is the first time I've seen an indigo bush legume, presumably because they take place later in the spring or summer when it is getting hot. 
I think the long green strips toward the top may be legume pods, although I have no certainty of that. I've also seen photos that make it look like the legume develops from the flower.



I assume these may be legumes drying up. 

1 comment:

  1. The purple flowers remind me a little of irises, both in the depth of color and in the shape.

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