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