(Redirected from Indigofera suffruticosa)
'Añil' is the common name of the
flowering plant ''Indigofera suffruticosa'' (formerly ''Indigofera anil'') in the family
Fabaceae. In Hawaiian it is know as either ‘Inikō/Inikoa, or Kolū; in Fijian it is called Vaivai; the Samoans call it La‘au mageso; on Guam it is called Aniles; and in Tonga it is referred to as ʻakauveli (itchy plant).
Añil is native to tropical America, and is commonly found in the
West Indies and
Hawaiian Islands, extending to subtropical Argentina, tropical/subtropical Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. It is an erect branching shrub growing to 1m tall with pinnate leaves, and is commonly found growing in dry, highly disturbed areas such as roadsides and bush fallow.
Añil is commonly used as a source for
Indigo dye and if mixed with certain clays it can produce the beautiful
Maya blue or Azul Maya a pigment used by the Maya Civilisation.
References
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List of plants of Caatinga vegetation of Brazil