Wild Indigo
Baptisia × variicolor
- Native to:
- United States
GBIF: Veronique Tessier
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Fabaceae
- Genus:
- Baptisia
- Species:
- Baptisia × variicolor
- USDA Symbol:
- BAVA5
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Forb/herb
- Height:
- 120 cm
- Drought Tolerance:
- High
- Bloom Months:
- may,jun
- Bloom Colors:
- purple, yellow, cream, bicolor
Wildlife Benefits
- Bees:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Documented bee visitation (GBIF)
- Butterflies & Moths:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Documented Lepidoptera association (GBIF)
Keystone Species Ranking
- Caterpillar Keystone:
- ★★★☆☆ Butterfly & moth species supported by this genus (NWF)
Reported Fauna Sightings
Bees: American bumble (Bombus pensylvanicus), Black and (Bombus auricomus), Brown-belted bumble (Bombus griseocollis), Yellow bumble (Bombus fervidus) Moths:Genista Broom Moth (Uresiphita reversalis), Ulolonche culea Butterflies:Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia), Duskywing sp. (Erynnis Schrank), Frosted Elfin (Callophrys irus), Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus), Horace's Duskywing (Erynnis horatius), Juvenal's Duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis), ⚠️Monarch (Danaus plexippus), Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos), Wild Indigo Duskywing (Erynnis baptisiae), Wild Indigo Duskywing (Gesta Evans), Zarucco Duskywing (Erynnis zarucco)
Garden & Ecology Notes
- Wildlife Value:
- bees, butterflies, birds
- Deer Resistant:
- Yes
- Fall Color:
- black pods
- Fire Ecology:
- Fire adapted — tolerates or benefits from fire
- Fire Notes:
- Deep taproot allows plant to resprout vigorously after fire. Adapted to prairie and savanna fire regimes with periodic burns.
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- well-drained, sandy or loamy soil
- pH:
- 5.5 - 7.5 (slightly acidic to neutral)
- Drainage:
- excellent drainage required
- Moisture:
- dry to moderate
- Notes:
- native to open woodlands and prairies
Propagation & Germination
- Stratification:
- Cold/moist stratification required — 30–60 days
- Scarification:
- Seed coat scarification required before sowing
- Germination Time:
- 14–30 days
- Notes:
- Hard seed coat requires scarification (hot water soak or mechanical scarification) followed by cold stratification. Seed germination can be erratic even with treatment.
The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI
Pre-treatment: Cold-moist stratification for 30 days at 1–5°C (34–41°F).; then Cold-moist stratification for 60 days.
Source: Claude AI