Indigofera spinosaSpiny Indigo

The Indigofera spinosa, commonly known as the Spiny Indigo, is a low, densely twiggy, spine-tipped shrub of the dry plains of north east Africa and southern Arabia. It carries very small grey-green pinnate leaves and short spikes of small pink to salmon pea flowers held tight against the branches.

It is a low-growing pioneer of hard, overgrazed and gravelly ground, and it holds a compact grey mound without any irrigation at all. It is used in native restoration, low shrub mass and verge planting on arid sites.

Specifications

• Height0.3 to 1 metre
• Width0.5 to 1.2 metres
• Native toNorth east Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula
• FoliageVery small grey-green pinnate leaves on densely twiggy spine-tipped branches; drought-deciduous
• Growth rateModerate

Conditions

• SoilPrefers gravelly, stony and sandy soils with free drainage; tolerates poor, shallow and alkaline ground
• LightFull sun
• WaterVery low; strongly drought-tolerant and adapted to survive on desert rainfall
• ClimateThrives in hot arid and semi-arid regions across Arabia and the Horn of Africa

Additional Features

• FlowersShort spikes of small pink to salmon pea flowers held tight to the branches, mainly after rain
• UsesNative restoration on degraded ground, low shrub mass, verge and embankment planting, drought forage reserve
• SpacingPlant 0.8 to 1.2 metres apart for a continuous low mass
• Low MaintenanceRequires nothing beyond occasional cutting back to refresh growth
• Pest ResistanceFree of significant pest and disease problems
• Drought ToleranceVery high, one of the last shrubs standing on hard overgrazed ground in its native range
• Erosion ControlThe dense low frame traps sand and reduces surface movement on stony plains
• Wildlife AttractionFlowers are worked by bees and the spiny structure gives shelter for small desert fauna

The Spiny Indigo is a pioneer for the hardest, most degraded arid ground, where a taller shrub would simply not take.