False indigo is a genus of about 20 species of erect, native, herbaceous perennials in the Fabaceae (bean) family native to the East to the Midwest of North America. The name is derived from the Greek baptisis , which means "to dye." Their native habitat is woodland borders and open woods. They will grow 2 to 4 feet tall with a similar spread in partial shade to full sun. They are tough, long-lived plants that tolerate various conditions from drought, poor soil, dry soil, and erosion. All false indigos will fix nitrogen into the soil. Propagation is by stem cuttings or seeds. They have a deep taproot making them drought tolerant but difficult to transplant. The attractive flowers appear in late spring to early summer and are typically deep blue, yellow and white. They contrast nicely against gray-green leaves. The fruit is a black, inflated, stalked pod with several seeds. Include false indigos in a drought-tolerant garden, a native garden, naturalized areas or a pollinator garden as a specimen or in the border. Quick ID Hints: The flowers have four to five petals each and stand up on a raceme or spike. Blooms are white, blue, purple-blue, or yellow and can be irregular and pea shaped. The three-parted leaves have an alternate arrangement and turn black upon drying. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems. Additional Baptisia Images at Juniper Level Botanic Garden VIDEO Created by Homegrown featuring Mark Weathington , Director of JC Raulston Arboretum Additional video for Baptisia from the Native Plant Picks series from the North Carolina Sea Grant led Coastal Landscapes Initiative .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect
Leaf color
Blue; Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Obovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Alternate 3-parted leaves, turning black upon drying. Leaves are entire, green to blue-green, trifoliate, and can vary in shape from elliptical to obovate. Leaves seem to be in groups of 3 at the end of a stem.
Flower color
Blue; Gold/Yellow; Purple/Lavender; White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Raceme; Spike
Flower shape
Irregular; Lipped
Flower detail
Flowers either on long-stalked clusters above the leaves or axillary. Flowers, having five petals each, stand up on a raceme or spike. Blooms are white, blue, purple-blue, or yellow and can be irregular and pea-shaped.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Black
Fruit type
Legume
Fruit detail
The fruit is a puffy, inflated, stalked bean pod with several seeds. The seeds inside of the pod are yellow to brown.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Erect green flowering stems
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
E. Canada to Central & E. U.S.A
Wildlife value
Attracts bees and is a host plant for the ashgray blister beetle (adult version).