Indigofera
Indigofera tinctoria
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Fabales Family: Fabaceae Subfamily: Faboideae Tribe: Indigofererearsa Genus: Indigofera L.
Species
See text

Indigofera is a large genus of about 700 species of flowering plants belonging to the family Fabaceae. They occur throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, with a few species reaching the temperate zone in eastern Asia.

The species are mostly shrubs, though some are herbaceous, and a few can become small trees up to 5–6 m tall. Most are dry-season or winter deciduous. The leaves are pinnate with 5–31 leaflets and the terminal leaflet present. Leaf sizes vary from 3–25 cm. The flowers are small, produced on racemes 2–15 cm long.

Indigofera species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Turnip Moth.

Selected species

Indigofera adenocarpa Indigofera adenoides Indigofera alopecuroides Indigofera alpina Indigofera alternans Indigofera amblyantha Indigofera amoena Indigofera angustata Indigofera angustifolia Indigofera antunesiana Indigofera aquae-nitensis Indigofera arenophila Indigofera argentea Indigofera arrecta Indigofera articulata Indigofera aspalathoides Indigofera aspera Indigofera asperifolia Indigofera astragalina Indigofera atriceps Indigofera atropurpurea Indigofera auricoma Indigofera australis Indigofera bainesii Indigofera boviperda Indigofera brachynema Indigofera brachyodon Indigofera brachystachya Indigofera brevicalyx Indigofera brevidens Indigofera brevipes Indigofera bungeana Indigofera burchellii Indigofera candicans Indigofera candolleana Indigofera capillaris Indigofera carlesii Indigofera caroliniana Indigofera cassioides Indigofera cecili Indigofera charlierana Indigofera chuniana Indigofera circinella Indigofera circinnata Indigofera colutea Indigofera comosa Indigofera cooperi Indigofera cordifolia Indigofera cryptantha Indigofera cuneata Indigofera cuneifolia Indigofera cylindracea Indigofera cylindrica Indigofera cytisoides Indigofera daleoides Indigofera decora Indigofera delagoaensis Indigofera demissa Indigofera dendroides Indigofera denudata Indigofera dielsiana Indigofera digitata Indigofera dimidiata Indigofera diphylla Indigofera disjuncta Indigofera dosua Indigofera dregeana Indigofera dyeri Indigofera egens Indigofera emarginella Indigofera erecta Indigofera eriocarpa Indigofera erythrogramma Indigofera evansiana Indigofera eylesiana

Indigofera fanshawei Indigofera filicaulis Indigofera filifolia Indigofera filiformis Indigofera filipes Indigofera flabellata Indigofera flavicans Indigofera foliosa Indigofera fortunei Indigofera frutescens Indigofera fulvopilosa Indigofera gairdnerae Indigofera galegoides Indigofera garckeana Indigofera glandulosa Indigofera glaucescens Indigofera glomerata Indigofera griseoides Indigofera hamiltonii Indigofera hebepetala Indigofera hedyantha Indigofera hendecaphylla Indigofera heterantha Indigofera heterophylla Indigofera heterotricha Indigofera heudelotii Indigofera hewittii Indigofera hilaris Indigofera himalayensis Indigofera hirsuta Indigofera hispida Indigofera hochstetteri Indigofera holubii Indigofera humifusa Indigofera ichangensis Indigofera incana Indigofera ingrata Indigofera inhambanensis Indigofera kirilowii Indigofera langebergensis Indigofera laxeracemosa Indigofera lespedezioides Indigofera leucotricha Indigofera lindheimeriana Indigofera linifolia Indigofera linnaei Indigofera litoralis Indigofera livingstoniana Indigofera longebarbata Indigofera longepedicellata Indigofera longeracemosa Indigofera lupatana Indigofera lyallii Indigofera macrophylla Indigofera maritima Indigofera marmorata Indigofera mauritanica Indigofera melanadenia Indigofera meyeriana Indigofera microcarpa Indigofera mimosoides Indigofera miniata Indigofera mischocarpa Indigofera mollicoma Indigofera monantha Indigofera montana Indigofera nebrowniana Indigofera nephrocarpoides Indigofera nigrescens Indigofera nigromontana Indigofera nummulariifolia Indigofera oblongifolia Indigofera omissa Indigofera ormocarpoides Indigofera ovata Indigofera oxalidea

Indigofera oxytropis Indigofera oxytropoides Indigofera paniculata Indigofera parkesii Indigofera parodiana Indigofera pascuorum Indigofera pendula Indigofera pilosa Indigofera podophylla Indigofera poliotes Indigofera pongolana Indigofera porrecta Indigofera potaninii Indigofera pratensis Indigofera praticola Indigofera pretoriana Indigofera procumbens Indigofera prostrata Indigofera pseudotinctoria Indigofera psoraloides Indigofera pulchra Indigofera purpurea Indigofera rautanenii Indigofera reducta Indigofera rehmannii Indigofera reticulata Indigofera rhynchocarpa Indigofera rhytidocarpa Indigofera ripae Indigofera rostrata Indigofera rothii Indigofera sabulicola Indigofera sanguinea Indigofera saxicola Indigofera schimperi Indigofera schinzii Indigofera secundiflora Indigofera semitrijuga Indigofera senegalensis Indigofera sessiliflora Indigofera sessilifolia Indigofera setiflora Indigofera simplicifolia Indigofera sokotrana Indigofera sordida Indigofera sphaerocarpa Indigofera spicata Indigofera splendens Indigofera stachyoides Indigofera stenophylla Indigofera strobilifera Indigofera suaveolens Indigofera subcorymbosa Indigofera subulifera Indigofera suffruticosa Indigofera sulcata Indigofera swaziensis Indigofera tenuis Indigofera tenuissima Indigofera tinctoria Indigofera tomentosa Indigofera torulosa Indigofera trifoliata Indigofera tristis Indigofera tristoides Indigofera trita Indigofera velutina Indigofera vicioides Indigofera viscidissima Indigofera vohemarensis Indigofera volkensii Indigofera wildiana Indigofera williamsonii Indigofera woodii Indigofera zeyheri Indigofera zollingeriana

Uses

Several of them and especially Indigofera tinctoria and Indigofera suffruticosa are used to produce the dye indigo. Colonial planters in the West Indies grew indigo and transported its cultivation when they settled in the colony of South Carolina. Exports of the crop did not expand until the mid-to late 1700s, however, when Eliza Lucas Pinckney and enslaved Africans successfully cultivated new strains near Charleston. It became the second most important cash crop in the colony after rice before the American Revolution, and provided more than one-third the value of all exports.

The chemical aniline, from which many important dyes are derived, was first synthesized from I. suffruticosa (syn. I. anil, whence the name aniline).

Several species of this group are used to alleviate pain. The herbs are generally regarded as an analgesic with anti-inflammatory activity, rather than an anodyne.^[1] Indigofera articulata Gouan (Arabic Khedaish) was used for toothache, and Indigofera oblongifolia Forsskal (Arabic "Hasr") was used as an anti-inflammatory for insect stings, snakebites, and swellings. ^[2]

Indigofera suffruticosa and Indigofera aspalthoides have also been used as anti-inflammatories.^[3] A patent was granted for use of Indigofera arrecta extract to relieve ulcer pain. ^[4]

References

1. "Tico Ethnobotanical Dictionary". Retrieved on 2007-06-16.
2. "(syllabus: Duke University)".
3. see references 8–9 in "Antimicrobial Activity of Indigofera suffruticosa".
4. US patent 6083509 "Phytodrug for management of peptic ulcer and methods of preparing and using same"

• Germplasm Resources Information Network: Indigofera
• eFloras: search results for Indigofera

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Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Indigofera". Image Credit.

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