Some indigo plants, however, like creeping indigo ( Indigofera endecaphylla), are toxic. Several indigo plant varieties have been used medicinally, however, true indigo is the most common utilized species and was popular with the Chinese to clean the liver, detoxify the blood, reduce inflammation, alleviate pain, and reduce fever. The shades of blue you get from the dye depends on where the indigo was grown and in what weather. While synthetic indigo produces an even blue, natural indigo contains impurities that give beautiful color variations. Now the dye is typically used by craftspeople. The cultivation of indigo for dye slowed after synthetic indigo was developed. These varieties of indigo were the center of an important industry in India. These include true indigo, also called French indigo ( Indigofera tinctoria), natal indigo ( Indigofera arrecta), and Guatemalan indigo ( Indigofera suffruticosa). Several different indigo plants are used to make the blue pigment. Blue False Indigo (Baptisia australis) is a large bush-like perennial, with dense clusters of deep blue flowers on long upright spikes. The blue dyestuff is produced by fermenting the leaves with caustic soda or sodium hydrosulfite. It was once the most commonly used natural dye in the world. For many years, the leaves of certain indigo plants were used to make dye to color fabrics a rich blue.

It is the leaves that make most types of indigo famous though. One of the most attractive indigo shrubs is Indigofera heterantha, with its long clusters of rosy purple, pea-like flowers.

For example, the flowers of Indigofera amblyanthan are soft pink racemes and cultivated for their ornamental beauty. Some indigo plant varieties have beautiful flowers. Indigo Plant InformationĪccording to indigo plant information, these plants are native to subtropical as well as tropical locations around the world. Read on for more indigo plant information and an overview of the different indigo plants. Some indigo plant varieties are used medicinally, while others are beautiful and ornamental. These varieties of indigo are famous for the natural blue colors obtained from the plant leaves used to make a natural dye. The popular color “indigo” is named after several plants in the genus Indigofera.

Indigo flower