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Indigofera decora

Common name:		Family:	Leguminosae
Author:	Lindl.	Botanical references:	11, 58, 200
Synonyms:	Indigofera incarnata ((Willd.)Nakai.), Hedysarum incarnatum (Willd.), Hedysarum incanum (Thunb. 1784.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - China, Japan.
Habitat:	River banks and old stone walls in C. and S. Japan[58].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Desmodium canum[G] Desmodium frutescens[G] Desmodium incanum[B,G,H,P] Desmodium mauritianum[G] Hedysarum canum[G] Hedysarum mauritianum[G] Hedysarum supinum[G] I. decora var. alba[G] Meibomia cana[G] Meibomia mauritiana[G] Meibomia supina[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Spanish Clover [H], Zarzabacoa Comun [P], Zarzabacoa-comun [B],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	decora = beautiful
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Fabales. Renamed to Fabaceae -- Pea family

Physical Characteristics

A decidious shrub growing to 1m by 1m . It is hardy to zone 5 and is frost tender. It is in flower from June to August. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. It can fix Nitrogen. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds, In Walls, In South Wall, In West Wall.

Edible Uses

Seed.

Seed - cooked[105, 177]. It can also be dried and ground into a powder then mixed with wheat flour or other cereals when making bread, cakes etc[179].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Miscellany.

A broth made from the leafy shoots is used in the treatment of cough, dyspepsia, haemorrhage and poisoning[218].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a light or medium well-drained soil and a warm sunny position[11, 200, 260]. Succeeds on chalk[11]. Prefers growing in areas with warm summers[260].
Plants are hardy to about -10° c[260]. The top-growth is not very winter-hardy however, the stems are often cut back by cold weather but new shoots are produced in spring and these flower in late summer[182].
A very ornamental plant[1], it is closely related to I. fortunei[182].
The flowers, which are borne over a period of about 20 weeks, have a vanilla scent[245].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[200].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[200].

Propagation

Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and sow February in a warm greenhouse. The germination can be variable. Prick out the seedlings when large enough to handle and overwinter the young plants in a greenhouse for the first winter, planting out in late spring or early summer after the last expected frosts[78].
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8cm with a heel if possible, July/August in individual pots in a frame. Good percentage[78]. Overwinter the young plants in a greenhouse for the first winter and plant out in late spring or early summer[11].
Root cuttings 3cm long in December. Good percentage[78].
Suckers. Remove them in the dormant season, preferably towards the end of winter, and plant out into their permanent positions.

Scent

Flowers: Fresh: The flowers have a vanilla scent.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Desmodium incanum (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[FAO] Data (Description, Habitat, Location and Use) from the FAO's Grassland Index.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[179] Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977
A translation of an ancient Chinese book on edible wild foods. Fascinating.

[182] Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2
Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[260] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998 ISBN 0-330-37376-5
Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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