Indigofera compacta

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A herb or small shrub. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows 30 m high. It grows from a woody rootstock. It has many branches from the base. The stems are slender and dark reddish-brown. They are hairy. There are grooves along them. The leaves are compound with leaflets along the stalk. There are 5 closely set leaflets that are folded and opposite. They are hairy on both surfaces. The flowers are small and 4-6 mm long and a light red colour. The fruit is a pod that is slender and erect. See Indigofera hilaris

Where it is found

It is a subtropical plant. It can grow in arid places.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Eswatini, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland

How it is used for food

The leaves are dried and used for tea. The roots are eaten as a relish.

The juice of the roots is eaten especially by children.

Edible parts

Leaves - tea, roots

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Isaceke, Wilde teebos

Synonyms

Indigofera hilaris Eckl. & Zeyh.;