False Indigo Baptisia australis

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 4 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 it 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.  If you have different colored cultivars and allow them to seed, they may hybridize and produce different colors.

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 Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy and Morphology” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee.

More information on Baptisia.