Prairie Works

Starting now and lasting into July one of the great prairie plants will be in bloom. Leadplant (Amorpha canescens), technically a shrub, has more content in Midwestern botanical folklore than most.

Amorpha comes from the Greek amorphos which means “without shape or deformed,” describing the small single petaled flower, odd for a legume, and canescens is latin meaning “gray-hairy” or “graying pubescent”.” It can be debated if its common name is a description of its lead-like color or because it served as an indicator of lead ore beneath the surface in the early days of lead mine prospecting, as often reported. I believe the naming is coincidentally the same.

 As a shrub, it forms woody stems and can live for a very long time and has one of the most extensive and complex root systems of any prairie plant. These deep roots helped earn this plant the nickname “prairie shoestrings.” As area pioneers were breaking the prairie sod, the leadplant roots would make the sound of a shoestring breaking as they were cut by the plow. The Indians also gave the plant some names. The Omaha Indians called this plant “Buffalo Bellow” as it was the dominant plant in the prairies during the rut season of the buffalo. The Lakotas called it “Birds Tree” because birds would utilize its stiff woody stems to perch on a treeless prairie. Drunk as a tea, or smoked, leadplant was used by Indians to treat many ailments as varied as pinworms, eczema and rheumatism.

Joseph Nicollet, a French explorer, wrote in his 1838 journal that leadplant was used by the Sioux Indians to attract buffalo. A concoction was prepared by pounding up the roots, moistening them and mixing them together. Whoever rubbed the mixture on his clothing had the power to attract buffalo and kill as many of them as he wanted.

In prairie restoration, Leadplant is essential. In the dry dolomite soils that dominate the driftless area Leadplant is right at home. In landscaping it makes for a very interesting plant but maybe a little frustrating to the owner due to the slow growing habits. It can take Leadplant several years to grow into a sizable plant as the plant stays busy growing its extensive root system before turning its energy upward above the surface. However, the wait is worth the while. This plant has numerous skills from being a great insect host species to soil stabilization and pumping nitrogen into the soil to help its neighboring plants.  

With our area’s lead mining heritage it is hard to find another plant that reflects the region’s history more than Leadplant, named after the ore or not…

http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/leadplantx.htm 

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=AMCA6