Indigofera decora Lindl.
Frost-hardy, spreading deciduous shrub with arching branches, pinnate leaves, to 20cm long, composed of 7-13, narrow leaflets, and erect racemes, to 20cm long, of pea-like white flowers, suffused with crimson, to 2cm across, in summer. To 60cm. [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers’].
Horticultural & Botanical History
‘This is a very pretty bush, received by the Horticultural Society from Mr. Fortune, who found it cultivated in the nursery gardens at Shanghai [c.1845], and calls it a dwarf shrub. The climate of Shanghai is so cold in winter, that it may be a question whether this species may not prove hardy: but at present it is too rare to be made the subject of experiments.’ [BR f.22/1846].
‘A most lovely and ornamental greenhouse plant, by no means so generally seen in our collections as it deserves to be; a native of China, and cultivated in the gardens of Shanghai, whence Mr. Fortune introduced it to the Horticultural Society of London. It flowers early in the season, and a cool greenhouse is rendered quite gay with its blossoms, which are of a lively pink and rose-colour, arranged in long, erect racemes; add to which the leaves are pinnated and of the most delicate green.’ [BM t.5063/1858].
History at Camden Park
Listed only in the 1857 catalogue [T.572/1857].
Notes
Published Dec 23, 2009 - 02:19 PM | Last updated Jul 21, 2010 - 12:21 PM
Indigofera decora Lindl. | BM t.5063/1858 | BHL
| Family | Fabaceae |
|---|---|
| Category | |
| Region of origin | China, Japan |
| Synonyms |
|
| Common Name | Indigo |
| Name in the Camden Park Record |
Indigofera decora |
| Confidence level | high |