White Wild Indigo (Baptisia alba) aka (Baptisia lactea)

$5.00

I love the Wild Indigos. This one is not as robust as Blue False Indigo, but it is just as satisfying to watch those bumblebees squeeze into the pea-like blossoms. White Wild Indigo really is a four-season plant, with asparagus-like sprouts in the spring, showy flowers in the summer, blue-green foliage that lasts into the winter, and large black seed pods for winter interest! Plus, it is the host plant for the Wild Indigo Duskywing, Clouded Sulphur, and 16 other species of butterflies and moths in our area (nwf.org) including the threatened Frosted Elfin (mnfi.anr.msu.edu) and  Persius Dusky Wing (mnfi.anr.msu.edu). Deer and other mammalian herbivores avoid it because it is poisonous and it can make cattle, horses, or other livestock sick if too much is consumed (illinoiswildflower.info). Other names in use: Baptisia leucantha, Baptisia lactea, and White False Indigo.

Photo credit: Joshua Mayer (1), John Blair (2)

Size:

I love the Wild Indigos. This one is not as robust as Blue False Indigo, but it is just as satisfying to watch those bumblebees squeeze into the pea-like blossoms. White Wild Indigo really is a four-season plant, with asparagus-like sprouts in the spring, showy flowers in the summer, blue-green foliage that lasts into the winter, and large black seed pods for winter interest! Plus, it is the host plant for the Wild Indigo Duskywing, Clouded Sulphur, and 16 other species of butterflies and moths in our area (nwf.org) including the threatened Frosted Elfin (mnfi.anr.msu.edu) and  Persius Dusky Wing (mnfi.anr.msu.edu). Deer and other mammalian herbivores avoid it because it is poisonous and it can make cattle, horses, or other livestock sick if too much is consumed (illinoiswildflower.info). Other names in use: Baptisia leucantha, Baptisia lactea, and White False Indigo.

Photo credit: Joshua Mayer (1), John Blair (2)

Life Cycle: Perennial

Sun Exposure: Full, Partial

Soil Moisture: Medium, Medium-Dry, Dry

Height: 4 feet

Plant Spacing: 2.5-3.5 feet

Bloom Time: June-July

Bloom Color: White

Advantages: Caterpillar Favorite, Bird Favorite, Pollinator Favorite, Deer Resistant, Great Landscape Plant

Host Plant: Wild Indigo Duskywing, Clouded Sulphur, and 16 other species of butterflies and moths use this as a caterpillar host plant in our area (nwf.org)

Beneficial for Endangered or Threatened Species: Possibly the Frosted Elfin (mnfi.anr.msu.edu), Persius dusky wing (Erynnis persius persius) (mnfi.anr.msu.edu)

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