Botanical name |
Indigofera hilaris |
Other names |
Red indigo bush |
Family |
Fabaceae |
Dimensions |
Small perennial herb or bushy shrublet of up to 40 cm in height |
Description of stem |
A few yellow-green, erect branches |
Description of leaves |
Compound with usually two pairs of usually opposite, grey-green leaflets and a terminal one; leaflets lanceolate with a distinct point at the apex and folded inward along the central vein; margins entire |
Description of flowers |
Pink flowers in axillary racemes on short stalks that typically do not extend beyond the leaves, appearing in spring, often in profusion on new growth, conspicuous in burnt veld; petals about 7 mm long |
Desciption of seed/fruit |
A small pod |
Description of roots |
A permanent rootstockfrom which new stems emerge in spring |
Variation |
Variable |
Propagation and cultivation |
|
Tolerances |
|
Uses |
A food plant for larvae of some lepidoptera species |
Ecological rarity |
Not threatened |
Pests and diseases |
|
Other |
Hilaris = cheerful |
Location |
Rocky grassland, hills and mountain slopes |
Distribution (SA provinces) |
Eastern Cape; Kwazulu-Natal; Free State; Mpumalanga; Gauteng; Limpopo; North West |
Country |
South Africa; Lesotho; Swaziland; Zimbabwe; Zambia; Malawi; Mozambique; Tanzania; DRC |