| Etymology | Genus | Bearing the colour indigo; referring to the flowers |
|---|---|---|
| Species | Hairy | |
| Family | Fabaceae | |
| Synonyms | - | |
| Common Names | Hairy Indigo | |
| Status | Exotic: Naturalised | |
| Form | Shrub | |
| Native Distribution | Africa to China and Taiwan, and down to Malesia and Australasia | |
Diagnostics:
Indigofera hirsuta is a common shrub in scrublands. It has imparipinnate leaves, and is very hairy on all parts of the plant. There are 4 other Indigofera species recorded in Singapore, but I. hirsuta can be easily differentiated from the rest from its densely hairy cover on the plant.
Interesting Facts:
The Hairy Indigo is cultivated as green manure in Bogor, Indonesia in the 1800s and introduced to the United States in 1908 (Djarwaningsih, 1997). It is now naturalised throughout the tropics and some subtropical regions.
A branch of Hairy Indigo, with Mimosa pudica leaves below for scale.
A compound leaf.
Hairy stem and leaves.
Inflorescence, but most of the pink petals have fallen.
Fruit pods, note the hairiness.
References
Djarwaningsih T. (1997) Indigofera hirsuta L. In: Faridah Hanum I & van der Maesen LJG. (eds). Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 11: 159-161 pp.Author: Siyang
Posted: 2014-12-14 / Modified: 2020-04-18