Avuri is Indigofera tinctoria, true indigo — the legume whose fermented leaf made the blue that clothed a trade. Hindi neel and Sanskrit nīlī are the dye names. It is not henna (Lawsonia) and not “black henna.” A hair paste that goes midnight in an hour is usually PPD, not this vat.
- Botanical name
- Indigofera tinctoria L.
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Tamil
- Avuri
- Hindi
- Neel
- Sanskrit
- Nīlī
- Parts used
- Leaf (fermented for indigo)
- Habit
- Shrubby legume grown for a blue vat dye
- Last updated
- 2026-10-30
How to recognise Avuri
Linnaeus published Indigofera tinctoria. The family is Fabaceae. It is a shrub with pinnate leaves, pink pea-flowers, and small cylindrical pods. The useful article is the leaf, fermented and oxidised to indigo.
The living plant is green. The blue is a vat product, not a juice you squeeze from a fresh leaf onto cloth.
Tamil avuri / neelam-chedi, Hindi neel and Sanskrit nīlī are the names. English true indigo is this species. Indigofera suffruticosa and other species entered colonial vats. A packet that only says indigo has not named the species.
Henna (Lawsonia) stains orange-brown. Indigo on hair is a second step for some dyers, a different plant and a different chemistry.
Leaf powder that is already blue-black may be pre-reduced dye or a mix. A green pinnate leaf is the botanical identification.
Pods and flowers help in the field. A dye vat does not.
Wrightia tinctoria (vetpalai) is another South Indian “indigo” story in some lists — a different family. Do not collapse them.
The living shrub is green. Blue appears after fermentation and oxidation. A fresh leaf crushed on cloth will not give you the vat colour, and that is the teaching mark against a market cone that is already black.
Traditional use of Avuri
Dye culture
The vat is the honest use — cloth, and later hair in some studios. Colouring is not a treatment claim.
Indian and wider indigo-dye practice
Ayurveda
Ayurveda lists the plant as nīlī. Historical lists should stay attributed.
Ayurvedic headings
Modern notes on Avuri
Synthetic indigo ended most farm vats. Craft revival is real and small. A “indigo” hair cone in a market is often a different chemistry.
The practical modern harm next to this plant is PPD “black henna,” not a missing Latin name.
Avuri safety
Cloth dyeing and a known studio paste are the adult exposures. Unknown black cones on skin are the paediatric emergency story we already told on the henna page.
Fermented vats are alkaline and staining. Children should only work with them under supervision.
Ecology and sourcing
It is a nitrogen-fixing shrub and a former plantation crop. Revival lots should say species and vat method.
It fixes nitrogen and can live as a hedge. Revival vats should name the species. A midnight hair cone that develops in an hour is usually a different chemistry.
Related plants
Also in Fabaceae
Questions about Avuri
Is indigo the same as henna?
No. Henna is Lawsonia inermis (orange-brown). True indigo is this legume (blue vat). They are sometimes layered on hair and remain two plants.
What is the Tamil name of Indigofera tinctoria?
Avuri.
Why is a hair cone mentioned on a dye page?
Because the English word indigo is borrowed by products that are not this vat.
Sources
- Indigofera tinctoria L. — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
- Wikidata item Q165213 (Indigofera tinctoria)
Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.