Carolina Indigo

Indigofera caroliniana Mill. Gard. Diet. ed. 8 Indigofera no 3. Mr 1768.
Indigofera disprrma L. Syst. Nat. ed. 12. 3: 232. S 1768.
A shrub 0.5-2 m. high, widely branching; branches terete, often reddish, slender, minutely strigose ; stipules subulate-setaceous, 2 mm. long; leaves spreading, 5-10 cm. long; rachis and petiole minutely strigose; leaflets 9-13, obovatc or oblanceolate, rounded or obtuse and mucronate at the apex, acute at the base, 1-2.5 cm. long, 5-10 mm. wide, finely strigose on both sides, thin, slightly paler beneath, petioluled; racemes usually surpassing the leaves; calyx 1.5 mm. long; corolla 5-6 mm. long, yellowish-brown; banner broadly oblanceolate; pod somewhat flattened, with strong sutures, oval in outline, 7-10 mm. long, 3 mm. wide, 2-3-seeded; seeds rounded, somewhat compressed, about 2.5 mm. long, nearly 2 mm. broad.
Type locality: Carolina.
Distribution: North Carolina to i'Morida and Louisiana.

Perennial, Shrubs, Herbs, Taproot present, Nodules present, Stems erect or ascending, Stems or branches arching, spreading or decumbent, Stems less than 1 m tall, Stems 1-2 m tall, Stems solid, Stems or young twigs sparsely to densely hairy, Stems with 2-branched hairs, dolabriform, Leaves alternate, Leaves petio late, Stipules inconspicuous, absent, or caducous, Stipules free, Leaves compound, Leaves odd pinnate, Leaf or leaflet margins entire, Leaflets opposite, Leaflets 5-9, Leaflets 10-many, Leaves glabrous or nearly so, Inflorescences racemes, Inflorescences spikes or spike-like, Inflorescence axillary, Inflorescence or flowers lax, declined or pendulous, Bracts very small, absent or caducous, Flowers zygomorphic, Calyx 5-lobed, Calyx glabrous, Petals separate, Corolla papilionaceous, Petals clawed, Petals ochroleucous, cream colored, Petals pinkish to rose, Banner petal ovoid or obovate, Wing petals narrow, oblanceolate to oblong, Wing petals auriculate, Wing tips obtuse or rounded, Keel petals auriculate, spurred, or gibbous, Keel abruptly curved, or spirally coiled, Keel tips obtuse or rounded, not beaked, Stamens 9-10, Stamens diadelphous, 9 united, 1 free, Filaments glabrous, Style terete, Fruit a legume, Fruit unilocular, Fruit freely dehiscent, Fruit elongate, straight, F ruit oblong or ellipsoidal, Fruit coriaceous or becoming woody, Fruit exserted from calyx, Fruit inflated or turgid, Fruit internally septate between the seeds, Fruit glabrous or glabrate, Fruit 3-10 seeded, Seeds ovoid to rounded in outline, Seed surface smooth, Seeds olive, brown, or black.