White Wild Indigo (Baptisia alba) aka (Baptisia lactea)
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.
False Indigo.Photo credit: Joshua Mayer, John Blair
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.
False Indigo.Photo credit: Joshua Mayer, John Blair
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.
False Indigo.Photo credit: Joshua Mayer, John Blair
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)
