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Fabaceae
False Indigo
Baptisia australis
Strength, immunity, protection.
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Genus
- Baptisia
- Native to
- Eastern North America
- Bloom season
- Late Spring, Early Summer
- Type
- Herbaceous perennial
- Height
- 90–150 cm
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low; drought-tolerant once established
- Hardiness
- 3–9
- Lifespan
- Extremely long-lived
Did you know
- Early American colonists used baptisia as a substitute for true indigo dye, which is where the name 'false indigo' comes from — though the resulting dye was inferior.
- Baptisia plants form a deep, woody taproot that can outlive the gardener and survive prairie fires, droughts, and harsh winters.
- It's a legume — like peas and beans — and fixes nitrogen in the soil, gradually enriching the ground around it.
- After flowering, the inflated black seedpods rattle in the wind like little maracas, providing winter interest long after the foliage dies back.
- Baptisia was named the 2010 Perennial Plant of the Year, and modern hybrids now come in yellow, peach, purple, and bicolor.
Color meanings
Blue
Steadfast loyalty