Fauna
Plant · GBIF taxon 2972082

Hairy Indigo

Indigofera hirsuta

Also known as Rough Hairy Indigo, Rough Indigo

Hairy indigo is a coarse, sprawling legume named for the dense, rusty-brown hairs covering its reddish stems and seed pods. Its spikes of salmon-pink to brick-red flowers attract a wide array of native bees and butterflies, while its nitrogen-fixing roots enrich tropical and subtropical soils. Although widely cultivated as a soil-improving cover crop, it readily escapes into roadsides, pastures, and disturbed clearings.

Nitrogen FixerCover CropFlowering
Hairy Indigo reference1 / 7
Licensed reference(c) Alex Abair, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Alex Abair · cc-by
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Key facts
Diet & prey
  • Autotrophic (Photosynthetic)
Predators
  • Root-knot Nematodes
  • Livestock
  • Caterpillars
ThreatsHerbicide application, intensive land development
HabitatsDisturbed areas, roadsides, pastures, agricultural fields, tropical grasslands
Life span1–2 years (Annual to short-lived perennial)
Classification
  1. OrderFabales
  2. FamilyFabaceae
  3. GenusIndigofera
  4. SpeciesIndigofera hirsuta
Range & activity
Range data is not available yet.
Safe observation
Interaction riskLow
  1. Low
  2. Moderate
  3. High
  4. Very high
Why interaction risk is low
Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
  • Examine the pods: Look closely at the dense, stiff rusty-brown hairs covering the cylindrical seed pods.
  • Check for pollinators: Watch the pinkish flower spikes during warm hours to observe native bees foraging.
Related species
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