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perennial

False indigo

Baptisia australis

Climate-suitable non-native

Growing guidance

Horticultural figures below are practitioner estimates for planning, pending expert review. The botanical record further down is sourced and verifiable.

Current-climate suitability

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Future-climate resilience

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Sun

Full sun

Soil moisture

free-draining, average

Heat tolerance

Up to about 42°C

Cold tolerance

Down to about -35°C

Waterlogging tolerance

2/5

Drought tolerance

5/5

Mature size

0.9–1.2 m tall, 0.9 m spread

Seasonal interest

Early summer · Indigo blue

Maintenance

low

Wildlife supported

General wildlife value 4/5 (verified species relationships are shown only where structured data exists)

Known risks or warnings

Very slow to establish and resents being moved.

Toxicity: mild

Verified botanical record

Accepted scientific name
Baptisia australis (L.) R.Br.
Family
Fabaceae (Fabales)
Rank and status
species · accepted
GBIF record
Taxon 2976091

Recorded as introduced in: Austria, Belgium, District of Columbia, Flemish Region, Illinois, Minnesota, Ontario, Wisconsin

Ranges are exactly as recorded in the GBIF source checklists and may be incomplete for widely cultivated species.

Baptisia australis, commonly known as blue wild indigo or blue false indigo, is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae (legumes). It is a perennial herb native to much of central and eastern North America and is particularly common in the Midwest, but it has also been introduced well beyond its natural range. Naturally it can be found growing wild at the borders of woods, along streams or in open meadows. It often has difficulty seeding itself in its native areas due to parasitic weevils that enter the seed pods, making the number of viable seeds very low. The plant has low toxicity levels for humans.

Description from Wikipedia — Baptisia australis (CC BY-SA), shortened and unedited in substance.

Native status and geographic context

  • United Kingdom: climate-suitable
  • United States: native
  • Australia: climate-suitable

Native status is never inferred from climate similarity. Plants restricted or invasive in a jurisdiction are excluded from recommendations there.

Demonstration data. Climate, plant and retailer records shown here are realistic samples awaiting horticultural validation and live data connections.