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Indigofera

Indigofera amblyantha (in-dee-GO-fer-uh am-BLY-an-tha)

Family: Fabaceae Non-native Shrub (3-15 ft)

Commonly known as Indigofera or indigo, this deciduous shrub grows on streams and in woodlands in its native south central China and is suited to average well-drained neutral to slightly alkaline soil and medium moisture. It can be sun, but in a hot, humid atmosphere, it benefits from afternoon shade. It can also suffer damage to the branch tips in a harsh winter. As wide as it is tall, 4-6 feet, it's leaves are grey green of 4-6 inch pinnate leaflets, but the fall color is not distinguished. The flowering time, however, is extended from May to September. The pea-shaped blooms of pink to rose to lilac are held in narrow racemes of 2-5 inches and are followed by dark purple seed pods. Insects, Diseases and Other Plant Problems:

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 45 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 3 - Shrub (3-15 ft) Optimal soil pH Neutral (6.0-8.0)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Native alternatives Baptisia Baptisia alba

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Shrub
Life cycle
Woody
USDA zones
6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt)
Soil pH
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
Available space
6-feet-12 feet
Mature size
Height: 4 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in. | Width: 4 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Open; Rounded
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Gray/Silver; Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
3-6 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Alternate, pinnate compound gray-green leaves; 4-6 in. long; 7-11 leaflets
Flower color
Pink
Flower value
Long Bloom Season; Showy
Flower form
Raceme
Flower detail
Pale rose to deep pink flowers summer to fall; borne on 2-5 in. narrow racemes
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Purple/Lavender
Fruit type
Legume
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit detail
Dark purple bean pods
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Western China
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall; Spring
Fruit type
Legume

Uses (ethnobotany)

Hedge, Containers, Borders, Specimen

Landscape Use
Landscape location
Riparian; Woodland
Design feature
Border
Garden tags
#deciduous #lavender #shrub #heat tolerant #drought tolerant #long bloom time #stream banks #flowers late spring #flowers early summer #deciduous shrub #showy flowers #purple fruits #showy fruits #flowers mid-summer #summer flowers #flowers late summer #spring flowers #pink flowers #flowering shrub #woodland #shrub border
Problems & Resistance
Resistant to
Diseases; Heat

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.