Mr. Hill,
Any idea? Attached photo of flower spikes taken 4-20-12. The blooms are 3-4 inches long. Growing next to forest service road near small pond margin in association with blooming indian pink. The road is graveled with limestone. Berkeley County, SC. Pine-oak forest transitioning to flood plain forest. Right on the edge of an area logged 2 years ago. Partial sun most of the day. Several of these plants were present, average height 18-24 inches. I went through all of my reference books for SC and SE US, and couldn’t find it. I appreciate any help.
Stumped in South Carolina,
Craig E
Hi Craig,
your plant is Amorpha fruticosa, one of the lead plants. It is scattered throughout the Carolinas and elsewhere. Here is more information:
http://www.missouriplants.com/Bluealt/Amorpha_fruticosa_page.html
I hope this helps!Sincerely,
Steve Hill SCNPS
Dr. Steven R. Hill
Botanist
University of Illinois
Champaign, IL