Meet the Blue False Indigo
Blue False Indigo | Baptisia australis
How do you know it’s me?:
I am an herbaceous perennial with an upright clumping form.
My compound leaves have three leaflets. They have a matte appearance and somewhat resemble a clover leaf.
My cane-like stems and leaves are smooth in texture.
My purple flowers grow in long stalks (up to 16”) that extend well above my leaves. Each individual flower is like a pea flower, with winged petals above a bulbous flower center.
My flowers give way to yellow puffy seed pods, which turn black as they ripen, filled with seeds that rattle when shaken.
How big do I grow?: 2’ - 4’ height and spread.
Sun-seeker or shade-lover: Full sun to part shade. Full sun to avoid flopping.
Where I prefer to put my roots: I prefer dry to medium moisture, well-drained soils. I am very tolerant of drought and poor soils.
Hardiness: Zone 3-9
Original home: I am native to the eastern US, from Pennsylvania to South Carolina.
Colors: My flowers are usually shades of blue and purple. My foliage can have a silvery hue. Some varieties have yellow or white flowers.
When I bloom: Late spring into summer.
Wildlife friends: My flowers are attractive to many butterflies and bees, and I serve as a larval host plant for a variety of butterfly species.
Flora Fun Facts: I was used by indigenous people to make a blue dye, similar to the dye made from indigo flowers, before the introduction of true indigo.
More Info: What starts as a dense forest of unfurling silvery-green sprouts develops into a handsome, upright perennial plant with rounded leaves and tall purple blooms. This plant has many tactile qualities, from its slippery-smooth leaves and stems to its musical seed pods.
A member of the Fabaceae (Pea) family, it is a nitrogen fixer, adding nitrogen (a critical nutrient for plant growth) to the soil and benefitting neighboring plants.
Great for border plantings, perennial gardens, and drought tolerant gardens. This plant also works well along a fence line.
The seed pods were once used by indigenous people as children's rattles, but are now a popular addition to flower arrangements.
Plant can be pruned after flowering to maintain a round appearance and help prevent drooping. It can seed itself if the seed pods are not removed.
May need staking supports to keep flower stalks upright.
