[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.