Taxon Report

Psorothamnus arborescens (Gray) Barneby var. arborescens

Mojave indigo-bush

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Psorothamnus arborescens var. arborescens, commonly known as Mojave indigo-bush, is a perennial deciduous shrub in the Fabaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Mojavean desert scrub, and Riparian scrub, growing at elevations from 400 to 1185 meters. Psorothamnus arborescens var. arborescens is ranked 4.3, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Psorothamnus arborescens (Gray) Barneby var. arborescens
Common Name:	Mojave indigo-bush
Family:	Fabaceae
Element Code:	PDFAB3C011
USDA Plants Symbol:	PSARA
Synonyms/Other Names:	Dalea arborescens

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial deciduous shrub
Blooming Period: Apr-May	Apr-May
Elevation:	400-1185 (1310-3890)
General Habitats:	Mojavean desert scrub, Riparian scrub
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.3
Global Rank:	G5T4
State Rank:	S4
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_USDA
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	0
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	0

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Inyo (INY), San Bernardino (SBD)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Barstow SE (3411771), Black Hills (3511743), East of Goldstone (3511637), Fort Irwin (3511636), Haiwee Reservoirs (3611728), Hodge (3411772), Paradise Range (3511627), Tiefort Mountains (3511635)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	0 %

Notes



Potentially threatened by proposed expansion of Ft. Irwin (DOD). See Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden 27:182 (1977) for taxonomic treatment.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 4 November 2025].