bastard indigo
Noun: 1. A common name for several unrelated shrub species: "Bastard indigo" is a colloquial name applied to various shrubs, primarily in North America and Asia, that resemble true indigo plants (genus Indigofera) but are not botanically related to them or do not produce true indigo dye. 2. Amorpha fruticosa: A specific shrub native to North America, also commonly called "false indigo" or "desert false indigo," characterized by spikes of dark purple flowers with prominent orange anthers.
- Noun:
- The dense thicket was composed mainly of bastard indigo, which thrived in the wet soil.
- Botanists noted that the bastard indigo along the riverbank was in full bloom.
- Unlike true indigo, bastard indigo is not cultivated for dye production.
- Horticultural and Ecological Context: The term is used in botanical descriptions, ecological surveys, and historical texts to identify these plants, often highlighting their role in erosion control or as a native species.
- The restoration project included planting bastard indigo to stabilize the riverbank.
- False Indigo (n): A more common and precise synonym for and related species.
- Amorpha (n): The botanical genus name for many species called bastard or false indigo.
- Indigo Bush: Another common name for plants in the genus .
- False indigo
- Desert false indigo (for )
- Amorpha
The term "bastard" in this context is an archaic botanical and colloquial term meaning "spurious," "irregular," or "not genuine." It indicates that the plant is a look-alike or substitute for true indigo, not a taxonomically correct member of the indigo family. This usage is historical and not pejorative toward the plant itself.
- an erect to spreading hairy shrub of the Pacific coast of the United States having racemes of red to indigo flowers
- dense shrub of moist riverbanks and flood plains of the eastern United States having attractive fragrant foliage and dense racemes of dark purple flowers
- East Indian shrub