Indigofera anil, whence the name aniline). The chemical aniline, from which many important dyes are derived, was first synthesized from Indigofera suffruticosa ( syn. It comprised more than one-third of all exports in value. When Eliza Lucas Pinckney and enslaved Africans successfully cultivated new strains near Charleston it became the second most important cash crop in the colony (after rice) before the American Revolution. Exports of the crop did not expand until the mid-to late 18th century. Colonial planters in the Caribbean grew indigo and transplanted its cultivation when they settled in the colony of South Carolina and North Carolina where people of the Tuscarora confederacy adopted the dyeing process for head wraps and clothing. Scraps of Indigo-dyed fabric likely dyed with plants from the genus Indigofera discovered at Huaca Prieta predate Egyptian indigo-dyed fabrics by more than 1,500 years. Several species, especially Indigofera tinctoria and Indigofera suffruticosa, are used to produce the dye indigo. Similar to fruit shape, the variation in fruit sizes allows for the thickest and most bountiful fruits to be selected. Despite the previous examples of delayed dehiscence, most fruits of this genus show normal explosive dehiscence to disperse seeds. The pericarp (the tissue from the ovary that surrounds the seeds) can be categorized as type I, type II, and type III with type I having the thinnest pericarp and fewest layers of schlerenchymatous (stiff) tissue and type III having the thickest pericarp and most schlerenchymatous layers. In addition, several of the species including Indigofera microcarpa, Indigofera suffruticosa, and Indigofera enneaphylla have shown delayed dehiscence (maturing) of fruits This variation could again allow for artificial selection of the most abundant and nutritious fruit types and shapes.Īnother way to categorize Indigofera is by its pericarp thickness. The three basic types of fruit categories can be separated by their curvature including straight, slightly curved, and falcate (sickle-shaped). The types of fruit produced by different species of Indigofera can also be divided into broad categories that again show great variation. The fruit is a long, cylindrical legume pod of varying size and shape. For example, different flowering morphologies could be artificially selected for in varying directions in order to better fit in different environmental conditions and with different populations of other plants. This variety could have significant implications on its role in an actual perennial polyculture. : 341 Indigofera flowers have open carpels, their organ primordial is often formed at deeper layers than other eudicots. Small flowers grow in the leaf axils from long peduncles or spikes, their petals come in hues of red or purple, but there are a few greenish-white and yellow-flowered species. Most of them have pinnate leaves made of three foliolates with short petioles. The branches are covered with silky hairs. Species of Indigofera are mostly shrubs, though some are small trees or herbaceous perennials or annuals. The unique characteristics it has displayed include potential for mixed smallholder systems with at least one other species and a resilience that allows for constant nitrogen uptake despite varying conditions. Some examples of this diversity include differences in pericarp thickness, fruit type, and flowering morphology. Specifically, there is diverse variation among species with a number of unique characteristics. Indigofera is a varied genus that has shown unique characteristics making it an interesting candidate as a potential perennial crop. They are widely distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. ![]() Indigofera is a large genus of over 750 species of flowering plants belonging to the pea family Fabaceae.
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