Psorothamnus arborescens var. californicus

California indigo bush

Family: Fabaceae · Type: shrub · Native

California indigo bush is a California native shrub found in southern desert mountains and adjacent desert regions on lower mountain slopes, flats, and washes at elevations of 100 to 1,100 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces small, delicate flowers with silky-textured foliage. Growing as a spreading shrub 1 to 2 meters tall with multiple branching stems, it has a distinctive desert mountain form. Its leaves are composed of narrow, linear-oblanceolate leaflets about 1 to 2 millimeters wide, covered in silky fine hairs that give the plant a soft, silvery appearance. The shrub's calyx is 5 to 7 millimeters long and lightly covered with fine hairs, contributing to its delicate desert adaptation.

Habitat: Lower desert mountain slopes, flats, washes

Bloom period: Apr-May

Elevation: 100-1100 m

Bioregions: SnBr, adjacent D.

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.