Botanical Name: Indigofera australis
Common Name: Australian Indigo
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Meaning:
Indigofera: From Latin, meaning indigo bearing, after the indigo coloured dye comes from the leaves of some of these species.
australis: From Latin, meaning from the south, referring to its geographic location.
Habitat: Sheltered forests and woodlands. Drought tolerant, but will flower more profusely if watered.
Soils: Found on clay-shale soils.
Habit: Shrub, 1.5 – 2.5m high.
Leaves: Compound, pinnate, greyish-green, soft, dull.
Flowers: Pink to mauve in a many-flowered (to 25+) raceme. Provides a good nectar and food source for butterflies, bees and other native insects. Good garden plant that does well if lightly pruned annually.
Flowering time: August to September.
Fruit: Thin pods containing approximately 10 seeds.
Seed: Requires heat treatment before sowing to break hard seed coat, for example, soaking in hot water overnight. Regenerates from seed. Can also be grown from cuttings.
Range: All states and territories of Australia, except the Northern Territory.
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