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James H. Schutte
Fabaceae
Baptisia alba
White False Indigo
Beautifully clumping with upright purple-gray stems clothed in bluish green leaves, white false indigo has pretty spikes of white, lupine-like flowers in mid-spring to early summer. An herbaceous perennial from the dry woods in the southeastern United States, it is slow growing with a deep taproot.
The blue-green to light green leaves have three oval leaflets. Depending on severity of the winter, the emergent stems and leaves will produce an upright flower spike as early as mid-spring, or later into early summer. White to ivory in color, the individual blossoms are pea-shaped, sometimes flushed with purple marks, and will be visited by bees and butterflies. The puffy seedpods that ensure are attractive and become chocolate to black in tone.
Grow white false indigo in full sun in an average to poor, gritty or gravelly soil that has good drainage. Tolerant of dry soil, heat and drought, it looks its best with moisture while sprouting and in bloom. Although the seeds of this cultivar are the best way for propagation, some will still cut off spent flowers or shear the foliage to keep it looking tidy. Plant white false indigo where it is to grow. It resents root disturbance. Use this pretty yellow bloomer alongside other blue or purple blooming false indigos in a sunny hillside mixed border, in a large rockery in a cottage garden or mixed meadow.
9 - 2
5 - 9
2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Perennial
Full Sun, Partial Sun
3'-4' / 0.9m - 1.2m
2'-3' / 0.6m - 0.9m
Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer
United States, Southeastern United States
Acidic, Neutral
Well Drained
Loam, Sand
Slow
Drought Tolerant, Average Water
Clump-Forming
Spring, Summer, Fall
Showy
White, Ivory
Chocolate, Black
Light Green, Blue Green
Green, Blue Green
No
Single
Yes
Medium
Glossy
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Mixed Border, Wildflower
Butterflies
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