Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Fabales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Baptisia bracteata
FAMILY
Fabaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
You may find it helpful to read The Genus Baptisia in South Carolina by Bill Stringer.
Some references have the more westerly taxon in the broad sense B. bracteata as B. bracteata var. leucophaea, meaning that they would have the eastern taxon (including NC) as B. bracteata var. bracteata. Learn more at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
For an in-depth treatment, peruse A monograph of the genus Baptisia (Larisey, 1940).
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Baptisia bracteata var. bracteata
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Baptisia bracteata var. bracteata
SYNONYMOUS WITH Native & naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the US (Isely, 1998)
Baptisia bracteata var. bracteata
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 098-09-004:
Baptisia bracteata FAMILY Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH A monograph of the genus Baptisia (Larisey, 1940)
Baptisia bracteata
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Baptisia bracteata
COMMON NAME:
Creamy Wild Indigo
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
JK Marlow jkm110415_479
April Carroll County GA
Plant softly pubescent. Stipules of median & lower lvs 2-4cm long, persistant, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_b_bracteata_creamy
April
Flowers in drooping 1-sided racemes with persistent bracts, per Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_baptisia_bracteata_9
April
)
JK Marlow jkm100501_042
May Anderson County SC
Clemson Forest
)
JK Marlow jkm100501_052
May Anderson County SC
Clemson Forest
Calyx upper lip only slightly emarginate, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm100501_056
May Anderson County SC
Clemson Forest
)
JK Marlow jkm100501_059
May Anderson County SC
Clemson Forest
)
JK Marlow jkm100501_062
May Anderson County SC
Clemson Forest
)
JK Marlow jkm170527_070
May McCormick County SC
Leaflets oblanceolate to obovate or somewhat elliptic, 2-4cm long, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm170527_073
May McCormick County SC
Legume's pedicels 14-18 (-30) mm long [vs. B. cinerea pedicels 2-10mm long], per Weakley's Flora (2015).
)
JK Marlow jkm180505_1718
May Pike County GA
Camp Thunder VPA
Calyx glabrous or spreading short-pubescent, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm070609_015
June Pickens County SC
Flowers [& fruit] in drooping one-sided racemes, per Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001).
)
JK Marlow jkm070609_022
June Pickens County SC
Leaves entire, palmately trifoliolate. Leaflets oblanceolate, to 1.5" long, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
COMPARE
leaves that are trifoliolate and palmately compound
)
JK Marlow jkm111113_395
November SC
Sumter National Forest: Tyger Ranger District
In winter the entire dry plant breaks loose and rolls like a tumbleweed, per All About South Carolina Wildflowers (Midgley, 1999).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Baptisia bracteata
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Baptisia bracteata var. bracteata
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Baptisia bracteata var. bracteata
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Native & naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the US (Isely, 1998)
Baptisia bracteata var. bracteata
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 098-09-004:
Baptisia bracteata
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
A monograph of the genus Baptisia (Larisey, 1940)
Baptisia bracteata
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Baptisia bracteata
188
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Dry ridgetop woodlands and forests, longleaf pine sandhills, other dry woodlands, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Uncommon (historically in NC, but not recently seen)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Palmately compound: 3 leaflets
Mostly alternate
FLOWER:
Spring
Creamy-white
Bilaterally symmetrical
4-5 toothed or lobed calyx
5-parted papilionaceous corolla
10 stamens
Superior ovary
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer
Legume
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- All About South Carolina Wildflowers (Midgley, 1999) p118
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p367
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p259
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p293
- Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants p170
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p029
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p187
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p079
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