Indigofera

[3][2] Indigofera is a varied genus that has shown unique characteristics making it an interesting candidate as a potential perennial crop.

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.

[3][4]: 341 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.

[4]: 341  Indigofera flowers have open carpels, their organ primordial[clarification needed] is often formed at deeper layers than other eudicots.

The three basic types of fruit categories can be separated by their curvature including straight, slightly curved, and falcate (sickle-shaped).

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.

Indigofera psammophila
Indigofera sylvatica