Baptisia pendula
White False Indigo
a perennial member of the Baptisia genus in the family Leguminosae.
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Leguminosae
- Genus
- Baptisia
- Life cycle
- perennial
- Height
- 1 m
- Spread
- 0.6 m
- Flower type
- hermaphrodite
Uses
Toxicity
Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
The plant is potentially toxic[5].
Material uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
A blue dye is obtained from the leaves. It is an indigo substitute but a lot of leaves are required for even a little indigo[2].
- Product or use
- Dye
Ecology and functions
Environment
- Range
- South-eastern N. America.
- Habitat
- Not known
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- no shade
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- Zone 5+
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral
- Drainage
- well drained
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[4]. Stored seed should be pre-soaked for 24 hours in warm water and then sown in a cold frame in late winter or early spring. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer or following spring. Division in spring[3]. Larger divisions can be planted straight into their permanent positions whilst smaller clumps are best potted up and kept in a cold frame until they are growing away well.
Cultivation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Prefers a deep, well-drained neutral to slightly acid soil in full sun[4][6]. Grows freely in a loamy soil[1]. Shy flowering in British gardens[1]. Plants have a very deep root system and dislike root disturbance, they should be left alone once they are established[3][6]. This species might be no more than a synonym for Baptisia alba var. alba. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[4].
References
F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00
Buchanan. R. A Weavers Garden.
Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0395467225
Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0 460 86048 8