Baptisia australis
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- bap-TEE-zee-uh aw-STRAL-iss
- This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
-
Blue False Indigo is a native herbaceous perennial plant in the bean family that grows in forests or natural areas in woodland borders. It grows from 3 to 5 feet tall, and with its showy blue flowers it is a spring highlight. Plant it in full sun to part shade but in the shade tends to get leggy and droop over. It forms tall clumps which are especially attractive planted next to wooden fences. The bright, indigo blue flowers are attractive when combined with yellow or white flowering perennials.
If you desire a round appearance, would prefer to not add support to the plant, and do not want the seed pods to develop, then after the flowers bloom (but before the seed pods set), you could prune back the leaves. The best way to propagate this plant is to collect seeds in late summer as soon as they mature and sow them directly where you want them to grow but they may not grow into a flowering plant until years later. Cuttings taken in April or May will also root fairly easily if they are taken while the growth is still soft.
This plant was selected as the 1992 NC Wildflower of the Year, a program managed by the North Carolina Botanical Garden with some financial support from the Garden Club of North Carolina.
Another plant option: B. tinctoria, a yellow-flowered species of Baptisia, is also native to the eastern USA and grows well in warm, sunny gardens.
Fire Risk: This plant has a medium flammability rating.
Seasons of Interest:
Blooms: Spring Nut/Fruit/Seed: Late summer
Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems: No major diseases or insects problems. If plants get tall in partial shade, a support may be helpful.
VIDEO Created by Homegrown featuring Mark Weathington, Director of JC Raulston Arboretum
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscapes:
- Plant Walls and Hedges Lake Wall Garden
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Carolina Moonlight'
Soft yellow blooms, 3-4 feet tall - 'Screeming Yellow'
- var. minor
dwarf
- 'Carolina Moonlight'
- 'Carolina Moonlight', 'Screeming Yellow', var. minor
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Carolina Moonlight'
Soft yellow blooms, 3-4 feet tall - 'Screeming Yellow'
- var. minor
dwarf
- 'Carolina Moonlight'
- 'Carolina Moonlight', 'Screeming Yellow', var. minor
- Tags:
-
-
Attributes:
- Genus:
- Baptisia
- Species:
- australis
- Family:
- Fabaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Uses by indigenous people included rattles (from the ripened seed pods) for children and blue dye. The beautiful blue flowers have been used to make a blue dye nearly comparable to dye made from the flowers of indigo.
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Root Cutting
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Central & Eastern U.S.A
- Distribution:
- PA south to NC and TN
- Fire Risk Rating:
- medium flammability
- Wildlife Value:
- Its flowers are attractive to butterflies, bees, and other insects. This plant is also a larval host plant for a variety of butterflies including: Orange sulphur, Clouded Sulphur, Frosted Elfin, Eastern Tailed Blue, Hoary Edge, and Wild Indigo Duskywing.
- Play Value:
- Buffer
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- Drought, salt, poor soil, rabbit, erosion, dry soil, clay soil, shallow-rocky soil, highly resistant to deer damage
- Dimensions:
- Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Native Plant
- Perennial
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Frequent Standing Water
- Good Drainage
- Occasionally Wet
- Available Space To Plant:
- 12 inches-3 feet
- 3 feet-6 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Black
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Good Dried
- Showy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Winter
- Fruit Type:
- Legume
- Fruit Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Description:
- Inflated seed pods filled with many seeds appear after bloom. They ripen when they are very black and up to 2.5 inches long in late summer. People enjoy the seed pods' appearance for ornamental interest or even dried flower arrangments (when the seed pod is with the stem).
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Blue
- Gold/Yellow
- Purple/Lavender
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Corymb
- Insignificant
- Spike
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Long Bloom Season
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Winter
- Flower Description:
- On spikes and arranged on 16-inches-tall racemes, flowers are generally purple/blue (about .75-in.). Plant it in full sun to part shade but in the shade tends to get leggy and droop over. It forms tall clumps which are especially attractive planted next to wooden fences. The bright, indigo blue flowers are attractive when combined with yellow or white flowering perennials. Flowers are either on long-stalked clusters above the leaves or axillary. They bloom in late spring (sometimes around early summer) in white, blue, purple/blue, or yellow and are irregular and pea-shaped.
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Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Blue
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Slippery
- Smooth
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Subulate
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Description:
- Trifoliate leaves look similar to clovers but are blue/green: these leaflets can be as long as 2 inches and have smooth edges. The alternate leaves have a smooth margin (entire). This perennial herb has 3-parted leaves, turning black upon drying.
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Stem:
- Stem Buds:
- Smooth/Hairless
- Stem Description:
- Stems with seed pods are valued additions to dried flower arrangements.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Houseplants
- Vertical Spaces
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Children's Garden
- Fairy Garden
- Native Garden
- Rain Garden
- Water Garden
- Design Feature:
- Accent
- Hedge
- Mass Planting
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Butterflies
- Hummingbirds
- Pollinators
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Diseases
- Drought
- Dry Soil
- Erosion
- Fire
- Insect Pests
- Poor Soil
- Rabbits
- Problems:
- Allelopathic
- Problem for Cats
- Problem for Children
- Weedy
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Poisonous to Humans:
- Poison Severity:
- Low
- Poison Symptoms:
- THIS PLANT CAUSES ONLY LOW TOXICITY IF EATEN. Poisonous through ingestion. All parts are poisonous. Symptoms: Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
- Poison Toxic Principle:
- Baptisin and cytisine
- Causes Contact Dermatitis:
- No
- Poison Part:
- Bark
- Flowers
- Fruits
- Leaves
- Roots
- Sap/Juice
- Seeds
- Stems
