Indigofera dimidiata

Indigofera dimidiata, commonly the trifoliate indigofera, is a low-growing perennial reaching heights from 10 cm to 70 cm.

The leaves are trifoliolate on petioles of 1 cm to 4 cm. The three narrowly elliptic leaflets have no petiolules. They fold in slightly along their midribs and are sunken on the upper surfaces like the parallel, ascending lateral veins. The specific name, dimidiata, is derived from the Latin word dimidiatus meaning halved, possibly referring to the leaflets halved by their midribs. The leaflets are from 2,5 cm to 4 cm long. The large, obliquely wide-based and acutely pointed stipules are conspicuous at the petiole bases on the stems. 

The pink to cerise and hairless flowers grow in dense racemes on stems of about 25 cm. The flowers are about 6 mm in diameter. Flowering happens from spring to summer. The fruit is a hairless pod about 2,5 cm long.

The species distribution is widespread across the east of South Africa, from the Eastern Cape through the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal to the provinces north of the Vaal River; also in Lesotho and Zimbabwe to Malawi. It is seen flowering here in the Mkhomazi Wilderness Area of the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg in January.

The habitat is grassland from the coast to elevations around 2600 m. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century.

The plant is used in traditional medicine. It also serves as a good luck charm and in mourning rites (Pooley, 1998; iNaturalist; iSpot; Wikipedia; www.zimbabweflora.co.zw; http://redlist.sanbi.org).