True indigo is a perennial shrub in the bean family (Fabaceae) native to Africa, Asia, Mexico and South America. It can be an annual, perennial or evergreen depending on where it is growing. It has been used to make a blue dye in the past and is still available as a natural dye today, rather than a synthetic. The genus name comes from indigo plus Latin fero, meaning to bear. The specific epithet, derived from Latin, means 'used in dyeing'. The plant will grow 2 to 3 feet tall and wide and does well in moist well-drained fertile soils with a pH 6 to 7. As with all plants in the bean family, it fixes nitrogen in the soil. It will tolerate full to partial sun conditions but does appreciate some afternoon shade in hot climates. The pink or purple flowers are in short racemes in the summer and are followed by 2-inch-long legumes. The compound leaves are light green with 4 to 7 pairs of leaflets. The dye is obtained from the leaves by soaking in water and fermenting them. True indigo can be grown for the dye or used as a cover crop or ground cover. It has escaped cultivation and tends to be weedy Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems
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.