Indigofera nigromontana leaves and flower

The leaves of Indigofera nigromontana are trifoliolate on long stalks, comprising small paddle-shaped to oblong leaflets that fold in along their midribs. The leaflets are thick, variably hairy with entire margins. They don’t show veins. There are no stipules or minute ones at the base of the petiole. Leaf colour varies from silvery grey to pale green, in the case of the plant in the photo a yellowy green.

Leaves and stems are sometimes used in traditional medicine, which does not threaten the plant as much as when roots are harvested. The plant is not considered to be under threat early in the twenty first century (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010; JSTOR; iSpot; www.plantzafrica.com).