Indigofera arrecta
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Indigofera
Species:
I. arrecta
Binomial name
Indigofera arrecta
Synonyms[1]
List
    • Indigofera kisantuensis De Wild. & T.Durand
    • Indigofera madagascariensis Schrank ex Colla
    • Indigofera scopa De Wild. & T.Durand
    • Indigofera umbonata Welw. ex Baker
External image
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Indigofera arrecta, variously called the Bengal, Java, or Natal indigo, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is native to Sub‑Saharan Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and Madagascar, and has been introduced to the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, some of the islands of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Queensland in Australia.[1]

Today it is occasionally used as a green manure, but historically was a major source of Indigo dye, with 600,000 hectares (1,500,000 acres) under cultivation in India in 1896, declining to a few thousand hectares 60 years later.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b "Indigofera arrecta Hochst. ex A.Rich". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  2. ^ Morris, J. Bradley (1999). "Legume Genetic Resources with Novel "Value Added" Industrial and Pharmaceutical Use". In J. Janick (ed.). Perspectives on New Crops and New Uses. New Crops and New Uses: Biodiversity and Agricultural Sustainability. Alexandria, VA: ASHS Press. pp. 196–201. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.408.4926.
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