Indigofera tinctoria Seeds | True Indigo
LATIN NAME: Indigofera tinctoria
COMMON NAME: True Indigo
Plant Profile
True Indigo (Indigofera tinctoria) is a shrub in the pea family (Fabaceae). It grows quickly into rounded bush, and it likes sun, and light, well-drained soil. Pollinating insects take to the flowers at once, adding a little wildlife interest to its garden value. The ratio of effort to reward here is about as good as gardening gets.
Science & Biotechnology
Botanists studying the pea family regularly include Indigofera tinctoria in comparative work, and the species also appears in horticultural trials aimed at gardeners and growers. Famous blue dye of true indigo gives it a long place in research on dye crops of pea family, and tinctoria species appears in studies of indigotin yield and dye chemistry. Interest from collectors and breeders has never lapsed, and good seed continues to circulate.
Uses & Benefits
True Indigo brings genuine presence to the garden and earns its keep across the growing season. In warm garden, true indigo indigos harvest with blue of the legend. Leaves have dyed cloths and threads deep blue for generations, roots fix nitrogen, and shrub makes neat, leafy bush. It grows well in light, well-drained, sunny ground. Establishment is uncomplicated, and afterwards ordinary care suffices.
Indigofera gave the world indigo, the blue of blue jeans, produced by fermenting the leaves; several species also serve as protein-rich forage and green manure.
Growing from Seed
Raising True Indigo from seed is straightforward. Fill a pot with a light seed compost, sow evenly on the surface, cover thinly and stand it somewhere warm, bright and evenly moist. Transplant the sturdiest seedlings to their permanent spots and let them develop without disturbance.
Our Take
Once established, True Indigo largely looks after itself. Its wants are few — a sunny spot, soil that drains, and time to settle in.
Related Reading
Continue exploring with these related plants: