Indigo plants appear as lush, green shrubs, with the ideal time to harvest being just before the flowers open.
True indigo (Indigofera tinctoria) is the source of a natural blue dye. According to the Missouri Botanical Garden, true indigo is probably native to China, tropical Asia and parts of Africa, and has been in cultivation since at least 4000 BCE.
It was grown as a cash crop in the southeastern US from the 1700’s onwards, and has naturalized in some areas. The Atlas of Florida Plants shows that true indigo has been found growing wild in Miami-Dade, Monroe and Hillsborough Counties. (UF IFAS Blog)
The author of the Atlas, mentioned above, should have expanded their search. Indigo grows wild around New Smyrna.
Imagine being a child who was comforted by a parent or grandparent who had blue hands. (Ed.)