Psorothamnus schottii

Indigo-bush

Family: Fabaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Indigo-bush is a California native shrub found in the southern desert region in gravelly to sandy slopes, benches, and washes at elevations below 600 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces deep blue flowers with a yellow banner spot, clustered in open inflorescences with 5 to 20 blossoms. Growing as a compact shrub less than 2 meters tall with green stems that become gray-strigose with age, it develops a distinctive appearance. Its simple leaves are linear, 1 to 3 centimeters long, densely puberulent and gland-dotted, remaining persistent throughout the growing season. The fruit is exserted, 7 to 10 millimeters long, with widely spaced large glands.

Habitat: Gravelly to sandy slopes, benches, washes

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: < 600 m

Bioregions: DSon

California counties: Riverside, Imperial, San Diego, Kern, San Bernardino

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