Carolina Wild Indigo Baptisia cinerea
- Phonetic Spelling
- bap-TEE-zee-uh sin-ER-ee-uh
- Description
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This Native perennial is also known as Grayhairy Wild Indigo. It is a yellow-flowered False Indigo blooming from April to July; it grows 1 to 3 feet high in partial shade. This variety grows best in the woods of the Sandhills or Coastal Plain, and is not as successful in an ornamental garden. The whole plant has short, silvery hairs giving it its name as well as turning ashy-gray in the fall persisting into the winter.
HABITAT: Sandy forests of the NC Sandhills.
VIDEO Created by Homegrown featuring Mark Weathington, Director of JC Raulston Arboretum
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Baptisia
- Species:
- cinerea
- Family:
- Fabaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Southeastern U.S.A.
- Wildlife Value:
- This is a host plant for butterfly larvae, including the Wild Indigo Dustywing, and other pollinators.
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- Deer damage; tolerates drought, poor soils, dry soil, and erosion
- Dimensions:
- Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 3 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)
- 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:
- Sand
- Soil Drainage:
- Occasionally Dry
- NC Region:
- Coastal
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Black
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Summer
- Fruit Type:
- Legume
- Fruit Description:
- Puffy bean pod. Black fruits display from June to August.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Raceme
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Irregular
- Lipped
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- fused petals
- Flower Description:
- Yellow flowers bloom from May to June.
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Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Lanceolate
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Surface:
- Hairy (pubescent)
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Landscape:
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Drought Tolerant Garden
- Native Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Pollinators
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Diseases
- Drought
- Dry Soil
- Erosion
- Insect Pests
- Poor Soil
