Taxon: Indigofera suffruticosa Mill.

Summary

Genus:

Indigofera

Family:

Fabaceae (alt. Leguminosae)

Subfamily:

Faboideae

Tribe:

Indigofereae

Nomen number:

20058

Place of publication:

Gard. dict. ed. 8: Indigofera no. 2. 1768

Verified:

09/17/2004 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

42 (11 active, 9 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Indigofera anil L.

Images (1 total. Click on image for more.)

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. et al. 1996. Flora of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 78:1-581.
Adams, C. 1972. Flowering plants of Jamaica
Albuquerque, J. M. 1980. Plantas tóxicas no jardim e no campo
Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Aubréville, A. et al., eds. 1960-. Flore du Cambodge du Laos et du Viet-Nam.
Barbosa, C. 1994. Contribución al conocimiento de las leguminosas colombianas. I. La tribu Galegeae (Brown) Torrey & Gray, 1838 sensu lato. Trianea 5:32.
Beetle, A. A. 1970. Recommended plant names. Univ. Wyoming Agr. Exp. Sta. Res. J. 31
Burkart, A. E., ed. 1969-. Flora ilustrada de Entre Rios.
Burkart, A. 1942. Las especies de Indigofera de la flora argentina. Darwiniana 4:151.
Correll, D. S. & H. B. Correll. 1982. Flora of the Bahama archipelago.
Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen 1479.
Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds. 1997. Auxiliary plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 11:161-163.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
Huang, S. F. & T. C. Huang. 1987. Taxonomic treatment of the Papilionoideae (Leguminosae) of Taiwan. Taiwania 32:11-117.
Isely, D. 1998. Native and naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the United States (exclusive of Alaska and Hawaii)
Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
Kort, I. de & G. Thijsse. 1984. A revision of the genus Indigofera (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in Southeast Asia. Blumea 30:134. Note: with two subspecies
Lemmens, R. H. M. J. & N. Wulijarni-Soetjipto, eds. 1991. Dye and tannin-producing plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 3:81.
Liogier, H. A. & L. F. Martorell. 1982. Flora of Puerto Rico and adjacent islands: a systematic synopsis.
Liogier, H. A. 1981-. Flora of Hispaniola: Part 1; La Flora de la Española. Part II-.
Liogier, H. A. 1984-. Descriptive flora of Puerto Rico and adjacent islands.
Macbride, J. F. et al., eds. 1936-. Flora of Peru Note: 1936-1971; new ser. 1980-
Maesen, L. J. G. van der. 1998. pers. comm. Note: re. common names
McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Personal Care Products Council. International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient
Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
Proctor, G. R. 1984. Flora of the Cayman Islands. Kew Bulletin Additional Series XI.
Pulle, A. A. et al., eds. 1932-. Flora of Suriname.
Radford, A. E. et al., eds. 1980-. Vascular flora of the southeastern United States.
Sanjappa, M. 1995. Leguminosae - Papilionoideae tribe Indigoferae. In: Botanical Survey of India, Fascicles of flora of India. 21:130-131.
Smith, A. C. 1979-1991. Flora vitiensis nova.
Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946-1976. Flora of Guatemala.
Steyermark, J. A. et al., eds. 1995-. Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana. Note: Missouri Botanical Garden & Timber Press
Verdcourt, B. 1979. A manual of New Guinea legumes.
Westphal, E. & P. C. M. Jansen, eds. 1989. A selection. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) A:161-162.
Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
English	anil indigo	1	Beetle, A. A. 1970. Recommended plant names. Univ. Wyoming Agr. Exp. Sta. Res. J. 31
German	mexikanischer Indigostrauch	2	Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen 1479.
Spanish	añil	2	Barbosa, C. 1994. Contribución al conocimiento de las leguminosas colombianas. I. La tribu Galegeae (Brown) Torrey & Gray, 1838 sensu lato. Trianea 5:32.
Swedish	västindisk indigo	2	Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Sinaloa
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Sonora
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Tamaulipas
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Zacatecas	s.
1	Native	Northern America	South-Central U.S.A.	United States	Texas		Isely, D. 1998. Native and naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the United States (exclusive of Alaska and Hawaii)
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Florida		Isely, D. 1998. Native and naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the United States (exclusive of Alaska and Hawaii)
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Louisiana		Isely, D. 1998. Native and naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the United States (exclusive of Alaska and Hawaii)
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Mississippi		Isely, D. 1998. Native and naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the United States (exclusive of Alaska and Hawaii)
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Aguascalientes
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Chiapas
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Colima
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Guerrero
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Hidalgo
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Jalisco
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Michoacán de Ocampo
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Nayarit
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Oaxaca
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Tabasco
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Yucatán
1	Native	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Anguilla			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Antigua and Barbuda			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Bahamas			Correll, D. S. & H. B. Correll. 1982. Flora of the Bahama archipelago.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Barbados			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Cayman Islands			Proctor, G. R. 1984. Flora of the Cayman Islands. Kew Bulletin Additional Series XI.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Cuba
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Dominica			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Dominican Republic			Liogier, H. A. 1981-. Flora of Hispaniola: Part 1; La Flora de la Española. Part II-.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Grenada			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Guadeloupe			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Haiti			Liogier, H. A. 1981-. Flora of Hispaniola: Part 1; La Flora de la Española. Part II-.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Jamaica			Adams, C. 1972. Flowering plants of Jamaica
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Martinique			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Montserrat			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	St. Lucia			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	St. Vincent and Grenadines			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	United States	Puerto Rico		Liogier, H. A. 1984-. Descriptive flora of Puerto Rico and adjacent islands.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	United States	Virgin Islands, U.S.		Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. et al. 1996. Flora of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 78:1-581.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Virgin Islands (British)			Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. et al. 1996. Flora of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 78:1-581.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Belize
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Costa Rica
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	El Salvador
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Honduras
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Nicaragua
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Panama			Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	French Guiana
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Guyana
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Suriname
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Venezuela
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Argentina	Buenos Aires
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Argentina	Catamarca
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Argentina	Córdoba
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Argentina	Corrientes
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Argentina	Entre Ríos
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Argentina	Jujuy
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Argentina	Misiones
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Argentina	Salta
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Argentina	Tucumán
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Paraguay
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Bolivia
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Colombia
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Ecuador
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Peru
2	Cultivated					also cult.
4	Naturalized					natzd. in paleotropics

Native
Northern America

SOUTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi]
SOUTH-CENTRAL U.S.A.: United States [Texas]
NORTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas (s.)]
SOUTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Aguascalientes, Chiapas, Colima, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Michoacán de Ocampo, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Tabasco, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, Yucatán]

Southern America

CARIBBEAN: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Montserrat, Martinique, United States [Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, U.S.], St. Vincent and Grenadines, Virgin Islands (British)
CENTRAL AMERICA: Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador
NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela
BRAZIL: Brazil
WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina [Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Córdoba, Corrientes, Entre Ríos, Jujuy, Misiones, Salta, Tucumán], Paraguay

Cultivated (also cult.)
Naturalized (natzd. in paleotropics)

Reference(s)

Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. et al. 1996. Flora of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 78:1-581.
Adams, C. 1972. Flowering plants of Jamaica
Correll, D. S. & H. B. Correll. 1982. Flora of the Bahama archipelago.
Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
Isely, D. 1998. Native and naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the United States (exclusive of Alaska and Hawaii)
Liogier, H. A. 1981-. Flora of Hispaniola: Part 1; La Flora de la Española. Part II-.
Liogier, H. A. 1984-. Descriptive flora of Puerto Rico and adjacent islands.
Proctor, G. R. 1984. Flora of the Cayman Islands. Kew Bulletin Additional Series XI.
Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Reference
Environmental	erosion control	Maesen, L. J. G. van der. 1998. pers. comm. Note: re. common names
Environmental	soil improver	Maesen, L. J. G. van der. 1998. pers. comm. Note: re. common names
Materials	tannin/dyestuff	Lemmens, R. H. M. J. & N. Wulijarni-Soetjipto, eds. 1991. Dye and tannin-producing plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 3:81.
Medicines	folklore	McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Vertebrate poisons	birds	Albuquerque, J. M. 1980. Plantas tóxicas no jardim e no campo
Vertebrate poisons	mammals	Albuquerque, J. M. 1980. Plantas tóxicas no jardim e no campo

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=20058. Accessed 12 May 2026.