Wild or False Indigo

Wild or false indigo (Baptisia species) is the perfect Mother’s Day gift, whether your Mom is a newbie, seasoned green-thumber, or someone who simply enjoys flowers that come back year after year around Mother’s Day. These gorgeous herbaceous perennials are native to the eastern U.S. and comprise 20 species and naturally occurring hybrids that produce spikes of pealike flowers that come in blue, white, yellow, purple, and pink.

For history buffs, the genus Baptisia (pronounced bap-TEASE-ee-uh) derives from the Greek word, bapto, which means “to dip” or “immerse.” It refers to the practice by North Americans and early settlers of extracting yellow, brown, and green dyes from the leaves and stems of wild indigo, notably blue false indigo (Baptisia australis) and other species. Indigo dye was extracted from yellow wild indigo (Baptisia tinctoria), but it proved to be an inferior source compared to the treasured true indigo (Indigofera species).

For years wild indigo remained an obscure historical relic, its ornamental and ecological contributions undiscovered and underappreciated. How’s that possible? At this time of year wild indigo produces tall spikes of pealike flowers that rise above the gray- to blue-green three-lobed leaves to provide a three- to four-week display of color. The flowers sustain bumblebees and other winged pollinators, and the leaves feed the larvae of a variety of butterflies that include wild indigo duskywing, frosted elfin, eastern tailed-blue, silver-spotted skipper, and sulphurs.

Besides its leaves and flowers, I love Baptisia for its drought tolerance, deer resistance, and sheer ruggedness. It’s a great “starter” plant for new gardeners because false indigo quickly recovers from any mistakes. For