Psorothamnus schottii (Indigo bush)

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Psorothamnus schottii (Torr.) Barneby

Indigo bush, Schott indigobush, Schott's dalea, Schott’s dalea

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Rosidae	Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
Order	Fabales	Legumes (pea and bean families)
Family	Fabaceae	Legume family (peas and beans)
Genus	Psorothamnus	From the Greek psoros, “mangy, scabby,” and thamnos, “bush,” thus “scabshrub”
Species	schottii	After Arthur Carl Victor Schott (1814-1875), one of the naturalists of the Mexican Boundary Survey

About plant names...

Schott’s delea is native to western North America. They prefer gravelly to sandy slopes, benches, and washes, at elevations below 1969' (600 m).

Plants: Large, densely branched spiny shrubs, reaching 10' (3 m). Branches are dotted with glands.

Leaves: ½-1" (1.3-2.5 cm) long and only ¹/₁₆" (1.6 mm) wide, essentially needles, blue-gray or green, covered with very minute hairs that make them appear whitish. Sometimes they are in groups of two or three.

Flowers: Deep purple-blue, pea-shaped, ¼-⅜" (7-10 mm) across, in groups of 5-20 flowers.

Fruits: Roughly egg-shaped, ¼-⅜" (7-10 mm) long, with raised dark red spots.

Online References:

CalPhotos

The Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Www.worldbotanical.com (Psorothamnus)

The Jepson Manual

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California
≈ 24 × 16" (62 × 41 cm)

5/2/2018 · Ocotillo Patch, Joshua Tree National Park, California
≈ 7 × 4½" (18 × 12 cm)

5/2/2018 · Joshua Tree National Park, California
≈ 6 × 4" (16 × 11 cm)

These similar species are most easily distinguished by leaf shape:

	*Psorothamnus spinosus*	You are here Psorothamnus schottii
Common Name	smoke tree	indigo bush
Plant	Large shrub or small tree, heavily branched, irregular in shape, spiny, up to 20' (6.1 m) tall.	Large, densely branched spiny shrub, reaching 10' (3 m).
Flowers	Dark purple to deep blue, pea-shaped flowers, ¼-⁵/₁₆" (6.3-8.3 mm) across, in loose clusters.	Deep purple-blue, pea-shaped flowers, ¼-⁵/₁₆" (6.3-8.3 mm) across, in loose 4-inch-long clusters.
Leaves	Nearly leafless, but has small bluish-gray wedge-shaped leaves that are widest near the top, ¼" (8.5 mm) long.	Needle-shaped, ½-1" (1.3-2.5 cm) long and only ¹/₁₆" (1.6 mm) wide, blue-gray or green.
Fruit	Roughly egg-shaped, ¼" (8.3 mm) long, one end pointed, with dark red spots.	Fruits are roughly egg-shaped, ¼" (8.3 mm) long, with raised dark red spots.
Range/ Zones
Habitats		Creosote bush scrub
Type	Wild	Wild

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California
≈ 8 × 12" (20 × 31 cm)

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California
≈ 3½ × 2½' (1.2 × 0.8 m)

5/2/2018 · Bajada Trail, Joshua Tree National Park, California
≈ 10 × 6" (24 × 16 cm)

5/2/2018 · Joshua Tree National Park, California
≈ 6 × 4" (16 × 11 cm)

5/2/2018 · Bajada Trail, Joshua Tree National Park, California
≈ 8 × 5" (20 × 13 cm)

5/2/2018 · Ocotillo Patch, Joshua Tree National Park, California
≈ 7 × 4½" (18 × 12 cm)

Dalea schottii Torr.

Dalea schottii Torr. var. puberula (Parish) Munz

Psorothamnus schottii description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 13 Oct 2021.

5/2/2018 · Joshua Tree National Park, California
≈ 4 × 6" (11 × 16 cm)

5/2/2018 · Ocotillo Patch, Joshua Tree National Park, California
≈ 7 × 4½" (18 × 12 cm)

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California
≈ 14 × 9" (35 × 23 cm)

5/2/2018 · Ocotillo Patch, Joshua Tree National Park, California
≈ 7 × 4½" (18 × 12 cm)

5/2/2018 · Ocotillo Patch, Joshua Tree National Park, California
≈ 10 × 6" (24 × 16 cm)

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California
≈ 3½ × 2½' (1.2 × 0.8 m)

Range:

About this map...