Baptisia
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- bap-TEE-zee-uh
- This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
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Baptisia is a genus consisting of erect, native, herbaceous perennials in the Fabaceae (bean) family. The name is derived from Greek baptisis, which means to dip or immerse. Its native habitat is woodland borders and open woods.
It will grow in partial shade to full sun. It is known for being a tough, long-lived plant that tolerates a variety of conditions from drought, poor soil, dry soil, and erosion. False indigo may be propagated by cuttings or seeds. The plant has a deep taproot which makes it drought tolerant, but also difficult to transplant.
The attractive flowers that appear in the spring are typically deep blue, but they can range in colors from pink to yellow to white. They contrast nicely against light green leaves. The fruit is a black, inflated, stalked pod with several seeds.
Include indigo in a drought-tolerant garden, a native garden, or a pollinator garden.
Quick ID Hints:
- The flowers have four to five petals each and stand up on a raceme or spike.
- Blooms are white, blue, purple-blue, or yellow and can be irregular and pea shaped.
- The three-parted leaves have an alternate arrangement and turn black upon drying.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems.
Additional Baptisia Images at Juniper Level Botanic Garden
VIDEO Created by Homegrown featuring Mark Weathington, Director of JC Raulston Arboretum
Additional video for Baptisia from the Native Plant Picks series from the North Carolina Sea Grant led Coastal Landscapes Initiative.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscapes:
- Pinehurst Greenway Pollinator Habitat Garden, Moore County Juniper Level Botanic Garden: Parking Lot Berms Juniper Level Botanic Garden: Part Sun-Part Shade Garden Juniper Level Botanic Garden: Souto Sun Garden Juniper Level Botanic Garden: Sunken Pond Garden Crowder Park Prairie and Native Plants Garden
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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B. aberrans
- 'Blonde Bombshell'
- 'Blue Towers'
- 'Carolina Moonlight'
- 'Ivory Towers'
Alba hybrid - 'Lemon Meringue'
- ‘Lunar Eclipse’
- 'Purple Smoke'
- 'Purple Towers'
- 'Screamin Yellow'
- 'Twilite Prairieblues'
B. alba
B. albescens
B. australis
B. cinerea
- 'Blonde Bombshell'
- B. aberrans, B. alba, B. albescens, B. australis, B. cinerea, 'Blonde Bombshell', 'Blue Towers', B. tinctoria, 'Carolina Moonlight', 'Cherries Jubilee' DECADENCE® SERIES, 'Ivory Towers', 'Lemon Meringue', ‘Lunar Eclipse’, 'Purple Smoke', 'Purple Towers', 'Screamin Yellow', 'Twilite Prairieblues'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
-
B. aberrans
- 'Blonde Bombshell'
- 'Blue Towers'
- 'Carolina Moonlight'
- 'Ivory Towers'
Alba hybrid - 'Lemon Meringue'
- ‘Lunar Eclipse’
- 'Purple Smoke'
- 'Purple Towers'
- 'Screamin Yellow'
- 'Twilite Prairieblues'
B. alba
B. albescens
B. australis
B. cinerea
- 'Blonde Bombshell'
- B. aberrans, B. alba, B. albescens, B. australis, B. cinerea, 'Blonde Bombshell', 'Blue Towers', B. tinctoria, 'Carolina Moonlight', 'Cherries Jubilee' DECADENCE® SERIES, 'Ivory Towers', 'Lemon Meringue', ‘Lunar Eclipse’, 'Purple Smoke', 'Purple Towers', 'Screamin Yellow', 'Twilite Prairieblues'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Baptisia
- Family:
- Fabaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- E. Canada to Central & E. U.S.A
- Wildlife Value:
- Attracts bees and is a host plant for the ashgray blister beetle (adult version).
- Play Value:
- Wildlife Food Source
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- Deer damage; tolerates drought, poor soils, dry soil, and erosion
- Dimensions:
- Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Native Plant
- Poisonous
- Habit/Form:
- Erect
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Low
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Dry
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Black
- Fruit Type:
- Legume
- Fruit Description:
- The fruit is a puffy, inflated, stalked bean pod with several seeds. The seeds inside of the pod are yellow to brown.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Blue
- Gold/Yellow
- Purple/Lavender
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Raceme
- Spike
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Irregular
- Lipped
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- fused petals
- Flower Description:
- Flowers either on long-stalked clusters above the leaves or axillary. Flowers, having five petals each, stand up on a raceme or spike. Blooms are white, blue, purple-blue, or yellow and can be irregular and pea-shaped.
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Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Blue
- Green
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Elliptical
- Obovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Alternate 3-parted leaves, turning black upon drying. Leaves are entire, green to blue-green, trifoliate, and can vary in shape from elliptical to obovate. Leaves seem to be in groups of 3 at the end of a stem.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Form:
- Zig Zags
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Coastal
- Meadow
- Naturalized Area
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Drought Tolerant Garden
- Native Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Pollinators
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Diseases
- Drought
- Erosion
- Insect Pests
- Poor Soil
- Problems:
- Poisonous to Humans
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Poisonous to Humans:
- Poison Severity:
- Low
- Poison Symptoms:
- This plant causes only low toxicity if eaten. Symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. All parts are poisonous.
- Poison Toxic Principle:
- Baptisin and cytisine
- Causes Contact Dermatitis:
- No
- Poison Part:
- Bark
- Flowers
- Fruits
- Leaves
- Roots
- Sap/Juice
- Seeds
- Stems
