false indigo
Baptisia alba
USDA zones4 to 9
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size2 to 4 feet tall2 to 2.5 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Habit
- Herb
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn, winter
- Bloom color
- Creamy white, occasionally streaked with darker patches.
- Foliage color
- Bright green to pale blue, black in fall
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Acid, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
False indigo (Baptisia alba) is a perennial for borders, pollinator gardens, and rain gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 4, or down to -30°F (-34°C). This plant likes full or part sun and dry to moist, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. Deer tend to browse other plants first. It forms a mound 2 to 4 feet tall and holds creamy white, pea-like flowers in erect clusters. Large black seedpods often stay on the bare winter stems.
Pairs well with Little bluestem, Mexican hat, and Purple Coneflower coneflower.
Native range
Southeastern United States.