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Indigofera heterantha

Common Name(s):

Phonetic Spelling
in-dee-GO-fer-uh het-er-AN-thuh
Description

Another shrub of the pea family, this indigofera is often called Himalayan indigo, and is native to Himalaya as well as Afghanistan to Tibet. It is suited to a range of soil conditions including clay. well-drained neutral to slightly alkaline soil and medium moisture. It can be sun, but in a hot, humid atmosphere, it benefits from afternoon shade.  

As wide as it is tall, 4-6 feet, it's leaves are grey green to blue green of 4-6 inch pinnate leaflets, but the fall color is not distinguished.  The flowering time is summer.  The pea-shaped blooms of pink to rose to lilac are held in dense racemes of 3-5 inches and are followed by dark purple seed pods. 

Insects, Diseases and Other Plant Problems:

 

See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#showy flowers#deciduous#heat tolerant#drought tolerant#shrub#deciduous shrub#blue leaves#lavender flowers#purple fruits#shrub border
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#showy flowers#deciduous#heat tolerant#drought tolerant#shrub#deciduous shrub#blue leaves#lavender flowers#purple fruits#shrub border
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Indigofera
    Species:
    heterantha
    Family:
    Fabaceae
    Uses (Ethnobotany):
    Hedge,
    Life Cycle:
    Woody
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    Afghanistan to Tibet and Himalaya
    Dimensions:
    Height: 4 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
    Width: 4 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Shrub
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Habit/Form:
    Open
    Rounded
    Maintenance:
    Medium
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
    Soil Texture:
    Clay
    Loam (Silt)
    Sand
    Soil pH:
    Acid (<6.0)
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    Available Space To Plant:
    3 feet-6 feet
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
  • Fruit:
    Display/Harvest Time:
    Fall
    Summer
    Fruit Type:
    Legume
    Fruit Description:
    Dark purple seed pods.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    Purple/Lavender
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Raceme
    Flower Shape:
    Tubular
    Flower Size:
    < 1 inch
    Flower Description:
    3-5 in erect racemes
  • Leaves:
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Leaf Color:
    Blue
    Gray/Silver
    Green
    Leaf Type:
    Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Alternate
    Leaf Margin:
    Entire
    Hairs Present:
    No
  • Stem:
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Theme:
    Drought Tolerant Garden
    Design Feature:
    Accent
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Drought
    Heat