Baptisia False

Indigo

Greek bapto — to dye, as some species yield indigo-like dyes.

Perennial rhizomatous herbs, becoming woody at the base. Leaves alternate. Leaflets 3, palmately arranged; stipules thread-like and soon shed, or large and persistent. Flowers in clusters. Sepals bell-like, upper 2 fused. Stamens 10, free. Fruit a short inflated pod; seeds many.

Grown and supplied by specialist perennial plant nurseries.

B. australis (L.) R. Br., Blue False Indigo, has bluish violet flowers; B. leucantha Torr. &A. Gray, White False Indigo, has white flowers, leaflets over 2.5 cm long and is said to have medicinal properties; B. tinctoria (L.) Venten.,Wild Indigo, with creamy yellow flowers and leaflets to 1.5 cm long, is the source of an indigo-like dye.

17 species from the E USA.

Seed and division.

Stamens free; fruit pod inflated.

Source: Spencer, R. (2002). Fabaceae. In: Spencer, R.. Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 3. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 2. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.

kingdom Plantae
phylum   Tracheophyta
class    Magnoliopsida
superorder     Rosanae
order      Fabales
family       Fabaceae