Indigofera brachystachya flowers

The pink, rose or mauve flowers of Indigofera brachystachya, sometimes brightly coloured while nearly white on other plants, grow in dense racemes or spikes on short stalks. In full bloom the bushes are conspicuous.

The calyx is broad and hairy, coloured in dull green, grey, pink and more hues in the photo. The heavily scented flowers have long, narrow petals: the boat-shaped keel is persistent, the outside of the standard petal is silky white with hairs, the wings widening near their tips. Flowering happens all year round, maybe not in mid-spring.

The specific name, brachystachya is derived from the Greek words, brachys meaning short and stachys meaning ear of corn (wheat), referring to the short-spiked inflorescence (Manning, 2007; Bean and Johns; 2005; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iSpot; Andrew, 2017).