false indigo n 1: any of several plants of the genus Baptisia [syn: {wild indigo}] 2: dense shrub of moist riverbanks and flood plains of the eastern United States having attractive fragrant foliage and dense racemes of dark purple flowers [syn: {bastard indigo}, {Amorpha fruticosa}] 3: an erect to spreading hairy shrub of the Pacific coast of the United States having racemes of red to indigo flowers [syn: {bastard indigo}, {Amorpha californica}]