Baptisia


Baptisia is a genus in the legume family, Fabaceae. They are flowering herbaceous perennial plants with pea-like flowers, followed by pods, which are sometimes inflated. They are native to woodland and grassland in eastern and southern North America. The species most commonly found in cultivation is B. australis.
Baptisia species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, including the jaguar flower moth, Schinia jaguarina.

Species

Baptisia comprises the following species:Baptisia alba Vent.—white wild indigo
  • * var. alba Vent.
  • * var. macrophylla IselyBaptisia albescens SmallBaptisia arachnifera W.H. Duncan—cobwebby wild indigo, hairy rattleweed Baptisia australis R. Br.—blue false indigo, blue wild indigo
  • * var. australis R. Br.
  • * var. minor FernaldBaptisia bicolor Greenm. & LariseyBaptisia bracteata Elliott—longbract wild indigo, Plains wild indigo
  • * var. bracteata Elliott
  • * var. glabrescens Isely
  • * var. laevicaulis Isely
  • * var. leucophaea Kartesz & GandhiBaptisia calycosa Canby—Florida wild indigo
  • * var. calycosa Canby
  • * var. villosa CanbyBaptisia cinerea Fernald & B.G. Schub.—grayhairy wild indigoBaptisia deamii LariseyBaptisia fragilis LariseyBaptisia fulva LariseyBaptisia intercalata LariseyBaptisia intermedia LariseyBaptisia lanceolata Elliott—gopherweed
  • * var. lanceolata Elliott
  • * var. tomentosa IselyBaptisia lecontei Torr. & A. Gray—pineland wild indigoBaptisia macilenta Small ex LariseyBaptisia megacarpa Torr. & A. Gray—Apalachicola wild indigoBaptisia microphylla Nutt.Baptisia nuttalliana Small—Nuttall's wild indigoBaptisia perfoliata R. Br.—catbellsBaptisia pinetorum LariseyBaptisia serenae M.A. CurtisBaptisia simplicifolia Croom—scareweedBaptisia sphaerocarpa Nutt.—yellow wild indigo, green wild indigo, round wild indigoBaptisia stricta LariseyBaptisia sulphurea Engelm.Baptisia tinctoria Vent.—rattleweed, wild indigo, horseflyweed, indigo-broom, yellow broom

Species names with uncertain taxonomic status

The status of the following species is unresolved:Baptisia auriculata SweetBaptisia lupinoides Burb.Baptisia retusa Raf.

Hybrids

The following hybrids have been described:Baptisia x bicolorBaptisia × bushii SmallBaptisia x deamiiBaptisia x microphyllaBaptisia x serenaeBaptisia x sulphuraeBaptisia ×variicolor Kosnik, et al.