Botanical Magazine 106 - 1880.pdf - hibiscus.org

According to Sir Jas. Smith (in Rees' Encyclopaedia), Gerarde
in 1597, and Johnson in 1632, knew nothing of any Indigo-
plant, Parkinson in 1640 being the first to treat of it as
"Indico or Indian Woad," giving a figure of the leaf from De
Last,and describing it, first from Ximenes in Last's description
of America, and secondly from Mr.William Finch, in Purchas'
Pilgrims. Ray, in 1688, says that it is not agreed from
what plant Indigo is made, and suggests that it is from a
leguminous one allied to Golutea ; he describes it from
Hernandez and Margraaf, and subjoins the description of
the (Indian) " Ameri " from Rheede's Hortus Malabarius.
Here for the first time the American and Indian species
are botanically both alluded to, though as one, nor were
they distinguished till a much later period. Linnasus, in the
1753 edition of the Species Plantarum, describes only the
Indian species, nor was it till the publication of his Man-
tissa, in 1771, that the American was recognized as
different, by its much smaller flowers and more curved
pods, which are even (not beaded). For further informa-
tion on the much-vexed question of the I. Anil, I must
refer to A. De Candolle's " Geographie Botanique," vol. ii.
p. 855. Our figure of I. Anil is taken from a plant that
flowered in the Economic House at Kew. The artist, Mrs.
Barnard, observes that the petals of the keel separate
elastically when touched.
DESCE. An erect shrub, three to six feet high, faintly
hoary, with appressed hairs which are attached by the
middle. Leaves four to five inches long, pinnate ; pinnules
one to one and a half inches long, in three to seven pairs,
variable in shape, from linear-oblong to obovate-oblong,
or almost obcordate ; stipules subulate. Racemes sessile,
stiff, erect, much shorter than the leaves, many-flowered.
Flowers a quarter of an inch long, shortly pedicelled.
Calyx very short, with triangular teeth. Standard hairy
on the back, orbicular, greenish, pale pink within. Wings
oblong, pink, equalling the narrow keel. Pods numerous,
an inch long, linear-oblong, obtusely four-angled, curved
upwards, beaked, smooth, six- to ten-seeded.•J. D. H.
v T lg \ 1 L SI ? e ' and 2, front view of flower; 3, calyx: 4, standard; 5, wings;
b, keel ; 7, stamens ; 8, pistil •all enlarged.