Description
Cottage gardens, prairies, meadows and native plant gardens. Effective in naturalized settings. Best as a specimen or in small groups.
Baptisia tinctoria commonly called wild indigo or yellow wild indigo, is an upright, smooth, shrubby perennial which typically grows 2-3 tall and occurs in open woods and fields from Maine to Florida and west to Minnesota.
Plant Specifications
| Common Name | wild indigo, Broom-clover, Baptisia, indigo-weed, horsefly-weed, indigo-broom, shoofly, yellow indigo, American indigo, yellow broom, cloverbroom, rattlebush. |
| Maximum Reachable Height | 2.00 to 3.00 feet |
| Flower Colour | yellow |
| Bloom Time | May to June |
| Difficulty Level | easy to grow |
Planting and care
Baptisia tinctoria care
Members of the Fabaceae or pea family, false indigo flowers, distinctive pea-like blossoms also come in white (Baptisia alba) and yellow (Baptisia tinctoria) as well as the more widely known blue (Baptisia australis
There are also several hybrid cultivars on the market today. Advertisement Native to the prairies of southern North America, Baptisia plants grow well in almost any well drained soil in USDA planting zones 5-9
| Sunlight | Full sun to part shade |
| Watering | Dry to medium |
| Soil | well-drained soil |
| Temperature | 70F |
| Fertilizer | Apply any organic fertilizer |
Baptisia tinctoria special feature
Cottage gardens, prairies, meadows and native plant gardens. Effective in naturalized settings. Best as a specimen or in small groups.
Baptisia tinctoria uses
Ornamental Use:
- The plant is used for ornamental purpose
- Genus name comes from the Greek word bapto meaning to dye
Medicinal Use:
- It is used in the treatments of colds and flu
- it can stimulate the immune system, it has been applied as an herbal remedy in the treatment of common colds, sore throats, infections and influenza
Culinary Use:
- It can be taken internally as a mouthwash or used externally as an ointment