Bastard Indigo

Description

Ungainly deciduous shrub reaching 6' to 20' in height, 5' to 15' in width, with an ungainly leggy chatracterwith the bulk of the foliage carried on the upper 1/3 of the plant. Foliage light bright green in summer,slightly yellowish in fall, late to leaf out; foliage turns brown after a hard frost. Flowers perfect,purplish-blue with orange anthers, each flower 1/3" long, borne in 3" to 6" long, upright spikes in June;not extremely showy but of an unusual color. Fruit a small, 1/3" long, warty, kidney-shaped pod,persisting into the winter, and offering a good identification feature.