Indigofera suffruticosa Miller
Family
Leguminosae
Synonyms
Indigofera anil L.
Vernacular Names
| Malaysia | Tarom, sekebak (Peninsular Malaysia). |
| English | Anil indigo. |
| American |
Anil de pasto. |
| Indonesia | Taem-taem (Sumatra), tagom-tagom (Kalimantan), tom janti (Javanese). |
| Philippines |
Tina-tinaan (Tagalog), tayum (Hisaya, Ilokano), sangifaria (Mindanao). |
| Thailand | Khram-thuan (Shan, Chiang Mai), khram yai (Ubon Ratchathani). |
| Vietnam | Ch[af]m b[uj]i, c[aa]y ch[af]m. |
Geographical Distributions
Indigofera suffruticosa originated in tropical America, but is now widely distributed and naturalised throughout the tropics, including Southeast Asia.
Description
Indigofera suffruticosa is a shrub that can grow 45-250 cm tall with erect, striate branches and with indumentum of appressed, biramous hairs with equally long arms.
The leaves are imparipinnate. The stipules are narrowly triangular, and measuring 3-6 mm x 0.2-0.3 mm. The petiole is up to 2 cm long and the rachis is 5-10 cm long. The petiolule is 1-1.5 mm long. Stipels are linear. There are (7-)9-15 leaflets which are opposite, narrowly elliptical to narrowly obovate, measuring 10-40 mm x 3-15 mm, wedge-shaped at base, acute to rounded at apex, mucronate, hairless or with very few hairs above and appressed grey pubescent beneath.
The inflorescence is an axillary raceme which is 2-6 cm long. The bracts are narrowly triangular while the pedicel is 0.5-1 mm long. The flower is 4-5 mm long. It is salmon pink to red. The sepal is bell-shaped, with tube 1 mm long, and triangular teeth which is 0.7-1.2 mm long. The upper part of petal is ovate to orbicular, measuring 3-4.5 mm x 2.5-3 mm and it is hairy on the back. The hairless wings measure 2-4 mm x 0.8-1.2 mm. The keel measure 2.5-4.5 mm x 1.2-2 mm, hairy, with non-ciliated margin and with lateral pocket of 0.5 mm long. There are 10 stamens, where 1 is free while the other 9 connate into a staminal tube which is 3.5-4 mm long. The ovary is hairy while the stigma and style are headed.
The fruit is a descending pod, 4-6-seeded, distinctly upcurved, measuring 1.5-2(-3) cm x 2 mm and hairy. The shiny brown seed is cubical, and measuring 1.5-2.0 mm x 1.5 mm. Seedling is with epigeal germination.
Ecology / Cultivation
Indigofera suffruticosa is commonly found on roadsides, waste lands, fallow lands and cultivated fields up to 1800 m altitude. It is sometimes found on beaches and in grass fields.
Line Drawing / Photograph
References
- Plant Resources of South-East Asia No.11: Auxiliary plants.
