Baptisia Species, False Indigo, Blue Wild Indigo
Baptisia australis var. minor
| Family: | Fabaceae (fab-AY-see-ee) (Info) |
| Genus: | Baptisia (bap-TIS-ee-uh) (Info) |
| Species: | australis var. minor |
| Synonym: | Baptisia minor |
| Synonym: | Baptisia texana |
| Synonym: | Baptisia versicolor |
| Synonym: | Baptisia vespertina |
Category:
Perennials
Water Requirements:
Drought-tolerant; suitable for xeriscaping
Sun Exposure:
Full Sun
Foliage:
Herbaceous
Foliage Color:
Height:
18-24 in. (45-60 cm)
Spacing:
18-24 in. (45-60 cm)
Hardiness:
USDA Zone 3a: to -39.9 °C (-40 °F)
USDA Zone 3b: to -37.2 °C (-35 °F)
USDA Zone 4a: to -34.4 °C (-30 °F)
USDA Zone 4b: to -31.6 °C (-25 °F)
USDA Zone 5a: to -28.8 °C (-20 °F)
USDA Zone 5b: to -26.1 °C (-15 °F)
USDA Zone 6a: to -23.3 °C (-10 °F)
USDA Zone 6b: to -20.5 °C (-5 °F)
USDA Zone 7a: to -17.7 °C (0 °F)
USDA Zone 7b: to -14.9 °C (5 °F)
USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 °C (10 °F)
USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 °C (15 °F)
USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 °C (20 °F)
USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F)
USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1 °C (30 °F)
USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7 °C (35 °F)
Where to Grow:
Danger:
Parts of plant are poisonous if ingested
Bloom Color:
Medium Purple
Bloom Characteristics:
Bloom Size:
Bloom Time:
Late Spring/Early Summer
Mid Summer
Other details:
Soil pH requirements:
6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)
6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
Patent Information:
Propagation Methods:
From seed; direct sow outdoors in fall
From seed; winter sow in vented containers, coldframe or unheated greenhouse
From seed; stratify if sowing indoors
From seed; germinate in a damp paper towel
Scarify seed before sowing
Seed Collecting:
Allow pods to dry on plant; break open to collect seeds
Regional
This plant is said to grow outdoors in the following regions:
Peel, Arkansas
Menifee, California
Jacksonville, Florida
Valrico, Florida
Peoria, Illinois
Rockford, Illinois
Washington, Illinois
Cedar Grove, Indiana
Jeffersonville, Indiana
Lafayette, Indiana
Derby, Kansas
Mount Sterling, Kentucky
Dracut, Massachusetts
Duxbury, Massachusetts
Lowell, Massachusetts
Kansas City, Missouri
Beatrice, Nebraska
Lincoln, Nebraska
Norfolk, Nebraska
Wood River, Nebraska
Andover, New Hampshire
Litchfield, New Hampshire
Southold, New York
Wallkill, New York
Davidson, North Carolina
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Old Hickory, Tennessee
Lexington, Virginia
Staunton, Virginia
Walkerton, Virginia
Racine, Wisconsin
show allGardeners' Notes:
| Rating | Content |
|---|---|
| Positive | On May 26, 2017, woodstea from Kansas City, MO wrote: Wonderful plant for me in its fourth season now, originally wintersown in milk jugs and transplanted into the garden as a tiny seedling. A scrawny thing in its second year, still lanky but flowering in its third, now filling out and taking up quite a lot of space in its fourth. |
| Positive | On Jun 25, 2012, lissyrae from Old Hickory, TN wrote: Love this plant - it's such a nice compact size, the folige is an interesting blueish grey/green, and it's tough as nails. Mine grows in clay with minimal to no watering, even in 100+ degree weather when it doesn't rain for 3 weeks at a time. I love that it requires no staking and is small and airy enough to fit almost anywhere. My oly complaint is that the gorgeous flowers don't last very long - 3 weeks at most. |
| Positive | On Aug 14, 2010, kobwebz from columbia, TN (Zone 7a) wrote: Have this in a part sun location and it does well, also mine gets 3-4 feet high. |
| Positive | On Apr 1, 2010, braun06 from Irving, TX (Zone 8a) wrote: This is a great plant of very useful habit. I wish breeders would use this to produce new hybrids instead of the big ones hitting the market. A 5' wide perennial is something harder to use. This one is however perfect for a perennial in the everyday landscape. You cant go wrong and it is native plus interesting. |
| Positive | On Aug 27, 2009, beautifulchaos from Indianapolis, IN (Zone 5b) wrote: I finally saw a similar variety of this the other day and was able to look this 'mystery' plant of mine up. I bought a toad lily about 4-5 years ago and a stem of this was in the pot. |
| Positive | On May 12, 2008, KSBaptisia from Beatrice, NE (Zone 5b) wrote: A strikingly beautiful plant. It takes a year or two to establish, but is practically indestructible after that. B australis var. minor makes, in many ways, a better garden plant than the typical B. australis. It is more wind resistant, more drought tolerant, and less likely to overwhelm its neighboring plants than B. australis, for example. |
| Positive | On Jun 20, 2007, Lady_fern from Jeffersonville, IN (Zone 6a) wrote: Beautiful vase-shaped plant. The blue-green foliage is clean and attractive all season long. The flowers make good cut flowers. If grown in 100% full sun, it requires no staking; if planted too close to trees or any structure, it will lean away from it and require staking up. Long-lived and never requires division. Absolutely no maintenance! |
| Neutral | On Jan 4, 2007, frostweed from Josephine, Arlington, TX (Zone 8a) wrote: False Indigo, Blue Wild Indigo Baptisia australis var. minor is Native to Texas and other States. |
