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Webster 1828 Edition


Indigo-plant

IN'DIGO-PLANT

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Noun.
A plant of the genus Indigofera, from which is prepared indigo. It is a native of Asia, Africa and America, and called by the native Americans, anil. The calyx is patent; the carina of the corol is furnished with a subulate, patulous spur on each side; the legume or pod is linear. Several species are cultivated for making indigo, of which the most important are the tinctoria, or common indigoplant, the anil, a larger species,and the disperma, which furnishes the Guatimala indigo.