Baptisia australis

Baptisia australis

Vulnerable  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Baptisia
Species:
B. australis
Binomial name
Baptisia australis
Varieties
  • Baptisia australis var. australis
  • Baptisia australis var. minor (Lehm.) Fernald
Synonyms
List
    • Baptisia australis Lehm. (1829)
    • Baptisia coerulea (Michx.) Eaton & Wright (1840)
    • Baptisia confusa Sweet ex G.Don (1832)
    • Baptisia exaltata Sweet (1825)
    • Baptisia minor Lehm. (1827)
    • Baptisia texana Buckley 1862)
    • Baptisia tinctoria var. projecta Fernald (1937)
    • Baptisia versicolor G.Lodd. . nud.
    • Baptisia vespertina Small ex Rydb. (1932)
    • Podalyria australis (L.) Willd. (1799)
    • Podalyria coerulea Michx. (1803)
    • Ripasia coerulea (Michx.) Raf. (1837)
    • Sophora australis L. (1767)
    • Sophora coerulea Moench (1794)

Baptisia australis, commonly known as blue wild indigo or blue false indigo, is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae (legumes). It is a perennial herb native to much of central and eastern North America and is particularly common in the Midwest, but it has also been introduced well beyond its natural range. Naturally it can be found growing wild at the borders of woods, along streams or in open meadows. It often has difficulty seeding itself in its native areas due to parasitic weevils that enter the seed pods, making the number of viable seeds very low. The plant has low toxicity levels for humans.