indigo
This is a tricky color to define. Not quite purple. Definitely neither red nor magenta which, by the way, does not exist outside of The Rocky Horror Picture Show‘s cast members.
One of the most fascinating aspects of magenta is the debate over its actual existence. The human brain perceives different wavelengths of light as different colors, but because magenta doesn’t have its own wavelength, some argue that the color is made up.
Indigo dye is an organic compound with a distinctive blue color. Indigo is a natural dye extracted from the leaves of some plants of the Indigofera genus, in particular Indigofera tinctoria; dye-bearing Indigofera plants were commonly grown and used throughout the world, in Asia in particular, as an important crop, with the production of indigo dyestuff economically important due to the historical rarity of other blue dyestuffs.
Most indigo dye produced today is synthetic, constituting several thousand tons each year. It is most commonly associated with the production of denim cloth and blue jeans, where its properties allow for effects such as stone washing and acid washing to be applied quickly.
It’s produced by plants akin to peas. So there’s that. And blue jeans. And girls.