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Fabaceae
True Indigo
Indigofera tinctoria
Depth and transformation.
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Genus
- Indigofera
- Native to
- India, Southeast Asia, Tropical Africa
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Type
- perennial shrub
- Height
- 100-200 cm
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- well-drained, fertile
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- 9-11
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- True indigo was so valuable in the ancient world that it was called 'blue gold' and traded along the Silk Road.
- The blue dye is not present in the living plant; it only develops through fermentation of the harvested leaves.
- Indigo dye from this plant was used to color the first blue jeans made by Levi Strauss.
- Ancient Egyptians used indigo to dye the cloth wrappings of mummies over 4,000 years ago.
- The species name 'tinctoria' literally means 'used for dyeing' in Latin.
Color meanings
0
wisdom
1
depth
2
transformation