TOXIC PLANT PROFILE: INDIGO
Clipboard researched by Henry Rivero and Rick VanderKnyff / Los Angeles Times. Graphics by Doris Shields / Los Angeles Times
INDIGO (Indigofera): The genus Indigofera includes about 300 species of shrub or perennial herb, with several species native to the southern United States and others grown as ornamentals. Indigo dye, a rich blue known to the Egyptians and Romans, was derived from several species of the plant. In experiments with livestock, several species of Indigofera have proven toxic, and have caused various symptoms including muscular spasms, paralysis, general weakness and even death.
