Indigofera hilaris
Indigofera hilaris | |
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Indigofera hilaris var. hilaris in Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Fabales |
Family: | Fabaceae |
Subfamily: | Faboideae |
Genus: | Indigofera |
Species: | I. hilaris
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Binomial name | |
Indigofera hilaris | |
Synonyms | |
Indigofera hilaris, the red bush indigo or gay indigofera, is a species of leguminous shrublet in the genus Indigofera (family Fabaceae).[1]
Etymology
The genus name Indigofera is Neo-Latin for "bearing indigo" (indigo is a purple dye originally obtained from some Indigofera species). Hilaris, from the Ancient Greek, means "cheerful, merry", referring to the bright, colourful display of the flowers.
Description
Indigofera hilaris is a perennial shrublet with erect annual stems up to 60 cm from a thick woody rootstock. Leaves are pinnate, with one to four pairs of narrow elliptical, silky and often folded leaflets; basal leaves are reduced, becoming scaly. Stipules are 2–9 mm long, linear and stiff. Inflorescences are short-stalked densely-flowered 1.5–5 cm long racemes, scarcely longer than the leaves. Flowers are reddish-pink to carmine, 7–8 mm long and about 6 mm in diameter. Pods are 10–30 mm long, cylindrical and straight. Flowers bloom from July to December, especially after fires.[2][3]
Distribution
Indigofera hilaris grows in open grasslands through eastern South and tropical Africa in Tanzania, Zambia, Zaire, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, Lesotho and South Africa (Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, North-West, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape).[4][1]
References
- ^ a b "Indigofera hilaris". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ Plowes, D. C. H.; Drummond, R. B. (1990). Wild flowers of Zimbabwe: a guide to some of the common wild flowers of Zimbabwe. Longman Zimbabwe.
- ISBN 978-1842464083.
- ISBN 9781920544874.