Fabaceae
Indigofera

Indigofera tinctoria L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 751 (1753)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is W. Tropical Africa, Tanzania to S. Africa, Indian Subcontinent to Indo-China. It is a subshrub or shrub and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Vernacular
INDIGO
Morphology General Habit
A shrubby herb up to 1 m tall, the stems sparsely white-strigillose, or densely so near the ends; leaves with 9–15 leaflets, these broadly obovate or oval, 1–2.5 cm long, mucronate at the apex, finely strigillose
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes shorter than the leaves; calyx ca. 1.5 mm long; corolla salmon-red, 5–6 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods numerous, 2–4 cm long, slightly curved or straight, 1.5–2 mm thick, beaked at the apex.
Distribution
Grand Cayman, Little Cayman. Native of southern India, but now naturalised in most warm countries.
[Cayman]

Leguminosae, J. B. Gillett, R. M. Polhill & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1971

Morphology General Habit
Shrubby herb 0.5–1.7 m. tall, closely related to I. arrecta, differing principally in the fruit which is longer (up to 35 mm.), ± 2 mm. wide and thick, 8–12-seeded and often somewhat curved.
Morphology General Indumentum
Indumentum of stem and calyx white.
Morphology Leaves
Leaflets 9–13 or rarely up to 17, either glabrous or strigulose above.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 4–5 mm. long.
[FTEA]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Sudanian anthropic landscapes, Lake Victoria regional mosaic; anthropic landscapes., Lake Victoria regional mosaic; bushland and thicket, Somalia-Masai bushland and thicket, Sudanian bushland and thicket, Zambezian anthropic landscapes., Zambezian
Morphology General Habit
Annual/Perennial, Not climbing, Herb/Shrub
Vernacular
Aika, Anil, Anileiro, Bengal Indigo, Ceylon Indigo, Digo, Engilavy, Engitra, Indigo, Indigo Sauvage, Indigofera, Indigofera Krasilnaya, Indigostrauch, Indigotier, Indygo, Indygowiec Barwierski, Ingetsea, Madras Indigo, Nil, Nil-awari, Pianta Dell' Indaco,
[ILDIS]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Shrubby herb 0.5–1.7 m tall; stems strigulose
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-rhachis up to 6 cm long including a petiole of up to 1 cm
Morphology Leaves Leaflets
Leaflets 9–13(–17), opposite, elliptic-oblong, up to 18 x 9 mm, strigulose beneath, glabrous or strigulose above
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes many-flowered, subsessile, up to 5 cm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx c. 1.2 mm long with triangular lobes about as long as the tube, white strigulose
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard white strigulose outside
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 4–5 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod up to 35 x 2 mm, straight or sometimes ± curved, deflexed, strigulose, 8–12-seeded.
Distribution
S1–3 widespread in tropical Africa and also in S Arabia, Socotra, India, Sri Lanka, SE Asia and introduced in tropical America.
Ecology
Altitude range 5–300 m.
Vernacular
Dharjo, dharqo (Somali).
[FSOM]

Papilionaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:2. 1958

Morphology General Habit
Softly woody plant up to 6 ft. high
Note
Formerly much cultivated, perhaps indigenous.
[FWTA]

Uses

Use
Formerly cultivated as a source of indigo.
[Cayman]

Use
Chemical products, Domestic, Environmental, Medicine, Miscellaneous, Toxins
[ILDIS]

Common Names

English
Indigo

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of the Cayman Islands

    • Flora of the Cayman Islands
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • International Legume Database and Information Service

    • International Legume Database and Information Service (ILDIS) V10.39 Nov 2011
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Living Collection Database

    • Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Plants and People Africa

    • Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/
    • © Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • World Checklist of Vascular plants (WCVP)

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0