Baptisia tinctoria

Description

Baptisia tinctoria, or Yellow Wild Indigo, is a shrub-like perennial with silvery, gray-green leaves and bright pea-shaped flowers in late spring. The plant grows best in full sun or part sun. Young plants tend to get off to a slow start due to significant energy requirements, but once established, Yellow Wild Indigo flourishes and is long-lived. For this reason, we do not recommend disturbing the roots of this plant once established. Did you know all Baptisia species are nitrogen-fixing legumes? The plant maintains a symbiotic relationship with the Rhizobium bacteria that allows them to utilize atmospheric nitrogen. Historically, this plant was used to induce vomiting, clean cuts and wounds, and as a remedy for gonorrhea. It was also used as an inferior substitute for indigo in dyes. Yellow Wild Indigo is the host plant for the Wild Indigo Duskywing skipper and Clouded Sulphur butterfly.

Baptisia tinctoria is also known as Yellow False Indigo or Horsefly Weed.