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Glite Dictionary
Indigofera

Indigofera

9.9
A tropical herb or shrub used to make indigo dye
  • noun
  • /ˌɪndɪˈɡoʊfərə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Indigofera
  • Priced at roughly $2,000, the jeans are made entirely by hand and dyed using natural indigo from the indigofera tinctoria plant.

Examples

  • Indigo cakes, wrapped up in string and cloth, a condensed and processed form of the plant indigofera tinctoria, were traded along the Silk Road.

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  • The indigo dye used for the artist's fabric came from the Indigofera plant, known for its rich color.

  • Farmers cultivate Indigofera species to produce high-quality indigo dye for traditional textiles.

  • Many herbalists value Indigofera for its natural dyeing properties in crafting vibrant fabrics.

Compounds

Indigofera anil
  • Specialized
9.9

A shrub from the West Indies and South America that people grow for indigo dye

Indigofera suffruticosa
  • Specialized
9.9

A shrub from the West Indies and South America grown for its leaves to make indigo dye

Indigofera tinctoria
  • Specialized
9.9

A small plant from Asia grown to make blue dye for cloth

Surface Forms

Indigofera singular
Indigoferas plural

Morphology

Indigofera = indigo (semi-transparent) = indigo + fera

The name is formed from 'indigo' plus the taxonomic/formative element '-fera' meaning 'bearing', but '-fera' is not productive in everyday English and the term is a specialized botanical name.

Etymology

Indigofera comes from the parts indigo ('indigo', the blue dye) and -fera ('bearing' or 'carrying'). So Indigofera literally means 'indigo-bearing', a plant that produces indigo dye, and you can remember -fera like the 'fer' in transfer, which has the idea of 'carry'.