NPSOT Logo
Join / Renew / Gift Donate Shop Member Portal Language
Search

Native Plant Society of Texas

Search
Close this search box.

Scarlet Pea

Indigofera miniata

Other common name(s):

Texas Indigo, Coastal Indigo, Western Indigo

Family:

Fabaceae (Pea Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Central Great Plains, Chihuahuan Deserts, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Southern Texas Plains, Southwestern Tablelands, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Broken Red Plains, Limestone Plains, Red Prairie
Low Mountains and Bajadas, Stockton Plateau
Carbonate Cross Timbers, Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift
Coastal Sand Plain, Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Laguna Madre Barrier Island and Coastal Marshes, Lower Rio Grande Alluvial Floodplain, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Mid-Coast Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Southern Subhumid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
Northern Nueces Alluvial Plains, Rio Grande Floodplain and Terraces, Semiarid Edwards Bajada, Texas-Tamaulipan Thornscrub
Canadian/Cimarron Breaks
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Southern Tertiary Uplands, Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Shrub

Height

1
to
2
ft.

Spread

1
to
1
ft.

Leaf Retention

Semi Evergreen

Lifespan

Annual

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Loam, Clay, Caliche, Well Drained

Light Requirement

Sun, Part Shade

Water Requirement

Low

Native Habitat

Grassland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

Pink, Orange

Bloom Season

Spring, Summer, Fall

Seasonal Interest

Forage, Nectar, Larval Host

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Deer

Maintenance

Grows in well-drained sand, loam, clay, caliche. Blooms on and off year round depending on conditions. Cut back lightly to encourage blooms. Low deer resistance. Propagation: Seed.

Comments

Blooms January-December. Stems prostrate, up to about 2 feet long. The flowers are a bright salmon pink. Brown seed pods, typical of the Pea Family, are produced in late Summer and Fall. Larval host for Grey Hairstreak, Common Dogface, Reakirt’s Blue,
Previous Scientific Name(s): Synonym(s): Indigofera leptosepala, Indigofera miniata var. florida, Indigofera miniata var. leptosepala, Indigofera miniata var. miniata, Indigofera miniata var. texana

References

1) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=inmi, 2) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=11140&locationType=County&mapType=Normal, 3) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=26745#null

Get in Touch

Contact the State

Contact a local Chapter

State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

Become a Member

Become an important part of a statewide community with over 4,000 members, who are united in our mission to promote Texas native plants!

Join Us!

Stay Informed

To keep up with what’s new at the Native Plant Society of Texas, subscribe to the state office email list. We won’t share your information with anyone.

Subscribe
Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram Camera
Admin Login

Native Plant Society of Texas is a 501(3)(c) nonprofit organization This website and all content Copyright © Native Plant Society of Texas. All rights reserved. Content may not be reprinted in whole or in part without written permission. Contact the Webmaster.