ID is uncertain 
Indigofera sumatrana Gaertn.
|
Indigofera tinctoria L. Indigo, true indigo
Indigo was the original source of the blue dye that colors most jeans. At a time when blue and purple dyes were rare, indigo's ability to be processed into many shades of blue and violet placed it in very high demand. The dye is not taken from the pale colored flowers, but processed from a substance called indican into the intense blue dye indigotin. Indigo is not native to North America, but has become naturalized. It is called true indigo because an unrelated plant, false indigo, was sometimes used as an inferior substitute. See e.g. yellow false indigo. Real indigo is compared below with two varieties of blue false indigo, as well as yellow false indigo. |
ID is dubious because indigo apparently doesn't occur in AZ. · 5/22/2009 · Slide Rock State Park, Sedona, Arizona · ≈ 17 × 11″ (43 × 28 cm) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| You are here Indigofera tinctoria |
Baptisia australis |
Baptisia tinctoria |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common Name |  |
 |
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Plant | Shrub, to 6′ (1.8 m) high. | 3-5′ (1-1.5 m) high, about 1½-3′ (50-99 cm) around. | 2-3' in height and width | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Flowers | Pink/violet flower clusters, each flower ½″ (1.3 cm). | Light blue to dark purple. | Yellow to cream, in spikes 1 1/2-3" long | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leaves | Pairs of opposite, rounded leaves on thin, vinelike branches. Leaflets about ¾″ (1.9 cm) long. | 1-1½″ (2.5-3.8 cm) long, green, bluish green, or grayish green, in groups of 3. | Silver green, groups of 3 leaves | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fruit | Clusters of bean pods, each 2″ (5 cm) long. | ⅞-3″ (2.5-7.5 cm) × ⅜-⅞″ (1.2-2.5 cm), bluish-black. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Range/ Zones |
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Habitats | Rich woods, thickets, meadows, stream banks | Dry open woods and clearings. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Wild | Wild | Wild | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Identification: This is a shrub up to 6′ (1.8 m) high, with pink/violet flower clusters composed of ½″ (1.3 cm) flowers. The fruits, up to 2″ (5 cm) long, look a bit like small string beans. The plant does not resemble false indigo.
From Taubert, Paul Hermann Wilhelm (1862-1897); Engelmann (ed.), Die Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien, 1891, p. Vol. III, 3 
Online References:
Indigofera tinctoria description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 16 Sep 2020.
© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.
Range:
