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Indigofera suffruticosa

‘Initiko

Indigo

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Indigo, Anil Indigo

TRADITIONAL NAMES: ‘Initiko (RR MG AT MK AK)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE tropical America

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent (Missionaries 1830s), Naturalised; S.Group only - widespread; Land, lowlands - mountains (++)

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Material (Dye-elsewhere); Weed - serious

KEY FEATURES: Shrub to 2m. LEAVES oppoiste, compound, 20x6cmT. LEAFLETS opposite, ~7 pairs+one, oval, to 30x12mm, edge smooth, tip obtuse with small spine. FLOWERS erect, axillary spikes to 5cm; each tiny. FRUIT upward-curved pod, to 20x3mm(LxØ), ripen black. SEEDS several, dark brown.

Enlarged Image of 'Indigofera suffruticosa'

Cook Islands Distribution

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Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
++++	+++	P	+L	-	P	-	-	-

Northern Group: -
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-	-	-	-	-	-

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Indigofera suffruticosa Mill.
SYNONYMS: Indigofera anil

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ROSIDAE; Fabales (Legumes); FABACEAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Material (Dye-elsewhere)
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Weed - serious. Comments: A very widespread woody shrub forming dense thickets in waste and fallow areas. Persistent and difficult to remove.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.676 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.447 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.3/183 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.276 R* Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.58 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.363d Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM04b

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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