Blue False Indigo
Baptisia australis
Pixabay
Summary
Blue false indigo is a large bushy perennial with dense clusters of pea-shaped, blueish-purple flowers on tall spikes, opening from bottom to top. Although it takes a minute to get started, after the first season or two, the plant matures into a substantial, long-lived garden mainstay. Once used as a blue dye, (substituting for true indigo, native to southern Asia), this plant is now treasured for its attractive foliage, flowers, and seed pods. In fact, one of its common names, rattlebush, refers to the rattling sound made by the ornamental dried pods. Like other legumes, it fixes nitrogen in the soil, requiring little to no fertilization.
More Details
FAMILY
Fabaceae (Pea)
BLOOM TIME
June-July
FLOWER
Blue-violet
MATURE SIZE
3-4 feet
LIGHT REQUIREMENT
Sun to part sun
SOIL CONDITIONS
Medium
NATIVE STATUS
PA Native
Ecosystem Connections
The shape of blue false indigo’s flowers means that certain pollinators, such as bumble bees, are uniquely adapted to access its nectar. To read the entire fascinating story, visit https://xerces.org/blog/bumble-bees-and-baptisia-pollination-story
This plant is also a larval host plant for a number of butterflies including the orange sulphur, clouded sulphur, frosted elfin, eastern tailed blue, hoary edge, and wild indigo duskywing.