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Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

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Baptisia australis var. australis (Blue wild indigo)
Cressler, Alan

Baptisia australis var. australis

Baptisia australis (L.) R. Br. var. australis

Blue Wild Indigo, Wild Blue Indigo, Blue False Indigo

Fabaceae (Pea Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: BAAUA

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

Rising 2-4 ft. high from a woody base, Blue Wild Indigo is a bushy, robust perennial. Flowers are blue-purple and pea-like, congested in dense, upright, terminal racemes, 4-16 in. long. Leaves are divided into three leaflets. In late fall the plant turns silvery-gray, sometimes breaking off at ground level and tumbling about in the wind.

 

From the Image Gallery

4 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Pinnate , Trifoliate
Leaf Shape: Oblanceolate , Obovate
Leaf Pubescence: Glabrous
Breeding System: Flowers Bisexual
Inflorescence: Raceme , Terminal
Fruit Type: Legume
Size Notes: 1-1/2 to 3 (to 4-1/2) feet tall.
Fruit: Legume to about 2-1/4 inches long.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Blue , Purple
Bloom Time: Apr , May , Jun , Jul

Distribution

USA: AL , CT , DC , DE , GA , IL , IN , KY , MA , MD , MI , NC , NH , NJ , OH , PA , RI , SC , TN , VA , VT , WI , WV

Bibliography

Bibref 417 - Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America (2000) Foster, S. & J. A. Duke
Bibref 1620 - Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Reprint Edition) (2009) Wasowski, S. with A. Wasowski
Bibref 946 - Gardening with Prairie Plants: How to Create Beautiful Native Landscapes (2002) Wasowski, Sally
Bibref 1294 - The Midwestern Native Garden: Native Alternatives to Nonnative Flowers and Plants An Illustrated Guide (2011) Adelman, Charlotte and Schwartz, Bernard L.
Bibref 328 - Wildflowers of Texas (2003) Ajilvsgi, Geyata.

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Additional resources

USDA: Find Baptisia australis var. australis in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Baptisia australis var. australis in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Baptisia australis var. australis

Metadata

Record Modified: 2016-07-08
Research By: Joseph A. Marcus

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