prairie wildflower

Tall blue wild indigo

Baptisia australis

Also known as Blue Wild Indigo, Wild Blue Indigo, Blue False Indigo

Native to much of the USA

Pennsylvania to southern Indiana, south to Georgia and Tennessee; introduced in New England; var. minor ranges from Iowa and southeastern Nebraska to Texas

Light Full sun Sun tolerance
Moisture Moist Moisture preference
Zones 3–8 Cold to heat range
Bloom Apr–Jul Flowering time
Height
Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial

Full details, see below

In the garden

A prairie wildflower for full sun and evenly moist soil. Hardy in USDA zones 3–8.

Growing conditions

Light

Full sun Partial shade Full shade

Moisture

Dry Moist Wet

Hardiness zones

Find your zone:

Pollinators & wildlife

Bees Common Eastern Bumble Bee

also Western Honey Bee, Eastern Carpenter Bee, Brown-belted Bumble Bee +40 more
Two-spotted Bumble Bee, American Bumble Bee, Ligated Furrow Bee, Bombus fervidus, Red-belted Bumble Bee, Perplexing Bumble Bee, European Woolcarder Bee, Black-and-gold Bumble Bee, Half-black Bumble Bee, Yellow-fronted Bumble Bee, Southern Carpenter Bee, Northern Amber Bumble Bee, Flat-tailed Leafcutter Bee, Sculptured Resin Bee, Golden Sweat Bee, Wilke's Mining Bee, broad-handed leafcutter bee, Southern Plains Bumble Bee, Texas Leafcutter Bee, Bufflehead Mason Bee, Black-and-gray Leafcutter Bee, Bristle Sweat Bee, Megachile exilis, Megachile brevis, Anthophora ursina, Spot-fronted Wool-carder Bee, Produced Small-Mason, Carinate Armored-Resin bee, Augochloropsis fulgida, Augochlorella persimilis, Coelioxys modesta, Megachile rugifrons, Hoplitis pilosifrons, Megachile frugalis, Megachile mucida, Violet Carpenter Bee, Xylocopa virginica virginica, Hook-spurred Longhorn, cranberry leafcutter bee, Lasioglossum pilosum
Butterflies Red Admiral

also Black Swallowtail, Silver-spotted Skipper, Gray Hairstreak +8 more
Zabulon Skipper, Peck's Skipper, Canadian Tiger Swallowtail, Hobomok Skipper, Wild Indigo Duskywing, Northern Cloudywing, Pyrisitia lisa, Elkalyce comyntas
Flower flies Margined Calligrapher also Eastern Calligrapher, Eurasian Drone Fly
Also visited by
- Moths: Genista Broom Moth, Common Looper Moth
- Hummingbirds: Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Butterflies that use this plant

Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.

Full plant details

Where it grows

Habitat: PrairieThe wild plant community it grows in.
Native range: Much of the USAUnited States (22): AL, AR, DC, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NC, NE, NJ, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
Native distribution: Pennsylvania to southern Indiana, south to Georgia and Tennessee; introduced in New England; var. minor ranges from Iowa and southeastern Nebraska to TexasThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.

Growing conditions

Light: Full sunHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
Moisture: MoistThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
Hardiness zones: USDA 3–8 · Canadian 4–7The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
Soil: Moist, well-drained, clays. Tolerates limeThe soils it grows in naturally.
Soil texture: Light to medium (sandy to loamy)The soil grade it prefers, from sand to clay.
Soil pH: Acid to neutralThe acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).
Water use: MediumHow thirsty it is, a rough guide to how often to water.
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance: MediumHow well it copes with chalky, lime-rich soil.

Growth & form

Spread: ~2 ft (0.6 m)How wide one plant gets, a guide to spacing.
Life cycle: PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
Growth rate: SlowA relative ranking versus other plants of the same type (USDA), not an absolute rate.

Flowers, foliage & fruit

Type: WildflowerWhat kind of plant it is.
Bloom: Apr–JulWhen it flowers.
Flower color: Blue, PurpleThe bloom color, or colors.
Fruit/Seeds: Inflated podThe seed or fruit it sets after flowering.
Toxicity: None knownWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.