Table 1.

Comparison between the new species of Indigofera from New Caledonia with the Australian I.australis and the widespread species I.zollingeriana.

	I. australis	I. dumbeana	I. monieriana	I. zollingeriana
Habit	Shrub	Shrub or small tree with plagiotropical branches	Virgate shrub	Shrub or small tree
Stipules	Stipules linear	Stipules triangular to falciform	Stipules narrowly triangular or falciform	Stipules linear
Leaf	Leaf 8–10 cm long, rachis only flat (not furrowed) and not articulate, lacking ferruginous colleters fields, at leaflets attachment. Leaflets 17–25.	Leaf, 10.5–11.3 cm, rachis strongly furrowed and not articulate, with brown ferruginous colleters fields, at leaflets attachment. Leaflets 15–19.	Leaf, 3–6 cm long, rachis furrowed and articulate dense colleters fields, dark ferruginous, at leaflets attachment. Leaflets 7(–11).	Leaf 23–26 cm long. Leaflets 11–23.
Leaflet	Petiolule dark brown on dry specimens, same or different color as the rachis; leaflets green below, usually 10–40 mm long, mostly elliptical, apex rounded or obtuse margins thick but not revolute, secondary and sometimes also tertiary venation visible as darker lines at both (but mostly at lower) surfaces, 6–8 pairs of secondary veins.	Petiolule dark brown on dry specimens, different as the rachis; leaflets discolor, greyish green below, usually 17–32 mm long, obovate, apex slightly emarginate, mucronate, margins not revolute, secondary and sometimes also tertiary venation visible at both surfaces, 6–7 pairs of secondary veins.	Petiolule light brown on dry specimens, same color as the rachis; leaflets discolor, whitish or greyish green below, usually 4–12 mm long, mostly obovate or orbiculate with apex emarginate margins slightly revolute discolour, the lower surface grayish venation not visible, 2–4 secondary veins often not visible.	Petiolule dark brown on dry specimens, same color as the rachis; leaflets discolor, greyish green below, usually 35–85 mm long, mostly elliptical-lanceolate with acuminate apex, margins not revolute, c. 10 pairs of secondary veins.
Flower	Calyx truncate; petals pink to purple; standard petal reflexed, keel petals oblong to narrowly obovate.	Calyx 5-lobate, the two upper lobes very short; petals white; standard petal patent, keel petals obovate.	Calyx 5-lobate, the lower lobe as long as or longer than the tube standard petal straight keel petals narrowly obovate.	Calyx 5-lobed, the lower lobe much shorter than the tube; petals pink to red; standard petal straight, keel petals oblong with a 90° upcurved apex.
Pod	Pod straight; endocarp forming translucent envelopes around the seeds; seeds rectangular and arranged linearly.	Pod slightly sinuous; endocarp forming translucent envelopes around the seeds; seeds ellipsoid and arranged linearly.	Pod straight; endocarp forming translucent envelopes around the seeds; seeds rectangular and arranged linearly.	Pod strongly sinuous; seeds naked, lens-shaped and arranged like a pile of coins.