Indigofera

Perennial or annual herbs, undershrubs, or shrubs, mostly covered by biramous hairs. Leaves (1)3(5-9)-foliolate, pinnate, simple or reduced to scales; leaflets opposite or less often alternate, entire; stipules setaceous to foliaceous; stipels often present. Flowers in axillary or terminal racemes or spikes, sometimes on long peduncles; bracts persistent or caducous. Calyx usually with shallowly campanulate tube; lobes equal or subequal. Petals: vexillum usually sessile, mostly hairy on dorsal surface; wings rarely markedly clawed, often eared, sometimes gibbous; keel with short, broad claw, spurred laterally or sometimes saccate, upper margin with a prominent fringe of hairs. Stamens diadelphous; vexillary stamen free; anthers uniform, apiculate. Ovary usually sessile, usually linear, with 1-many ovules; style usually bent at right angle, with capitate stigma. Pod variable, globose to linear, straight to coiled, septate within, variously hairy or glabrous. Seeds globose to cylindrical; either truncate, compressed, obloid, ellipsoid or quadrate; with hard, bony testa and a small, oval hilum; a rudimentary rim-aril is present in most taxa. x= 8 (7) (aneuploids, polyploidy, B-chromosomes).