According to Sir Jas. Smith (in Rees’ Encyclopedia), Gerarde 
in 1597, and Johnson in 1632, knew nothing of any Indigo- 
plant, Parkinson in 1640 being the first to treat of it as 
“Indico or Indian Woad,” giving a figure of the leaf from De 
Leet, and describing it, first from Ximenes in Leet’s description 
of America, and secondly from Mr. William Finch, in Purchas’ 
Pilgrims. Ray, in 1688, says that it is not agreed from 
what plant Indigo is made, and suggests that it is from a 
leguminous one allied to Colutea; he describes it from 
Hernandez and Mareraaf, and subjoins the description of 
the (Indian) “ Ameri” from Rheede’s Hortus Malabarius. 
Here for the first time the American and Indian species 
are botanically both alluded to, though as one, nor were 
they distinguished till a much later period. Linnzeus, in the 
1753 edition of the Species Plantarum, describes only the 
Indian species, nor was it till the publication of his Man- 
tissa, in 1771, that the American was recognized as 
different, by its much smaller flowers and more curved 
pods, which are even (not beaded). For further informa- 
tion on the much-vexed question of the J. Anil, I must 
refer to A. De Candolle’s “ Geographie Botanique,” vol. ii. _ 
p. 855. Our figure of [. Anil is taken from a plant that 
flowered in the Economic House at Kew. ‘The artist, Mrs. 
Barnard, observes that the petals of the keel separate 
elastically when touched. 
Descr. An erect shrub, three to six feet high, faintly 
hoary, with appressed hairs which are attached by the 
middle. Leaves four to five inches long, pinnate ; pinnules 
one to one and a half inches long, in three to seven pairs, 
variable in shape, from linear-oblong to obovate-oblong, 
or almost obcordate; stipules subulate. Racemes sessile, 
stiff, erect, much shorter than the leaves, many-flowered. 
Flowers a quarter of an inch long, shortly pedicelled. 
Calye very short, with triangular teeth. Standard hairy 
_ on the back, orbicular, greenish, pale pink within. Wings 
oblong, pink, equalling the narrow keel. Pods numerous, 
an inch long, linear-oblong, obtusely four-angled, curved 
upwards, beaked, smooth, six- to ten-seeded.—J. D. H. 
, Fig. 1, Side, and 2, front view of flower; 3, calyx; 4, standard ; 5, wings; 
5, keel; 7, stamens ; 8, pistil :—all enlarged. 
