Description

California false indigo is encountered in interior coastal mountains from San Luis Obispo County south into Baja California. There is also a variety found in the counties immediately north of San Francisco. California false indigo grows in a fountain-like form with multiple fronds of compound leaves. The overall impression is reminiscent of a large fern. The flowers are dramatic frond of purple with orange details, not unlike those of a lupine to which false indigo is related. This plant prefers a shady location and little water once established. In the winter it will go entirely dormant and largely die back to the ground. California false indigo is a larval food source for the California dogface butterfly.