Yellow Wild Indigo (Baptisia tinctoria)

A small Native American shrub that is very hardy up to zone 3 and down to 9. growing to only 3 feet (1m) in height it produces masses of bright yellow flowers from early summer until late fall. Does better on poor soils than rich ones and will grow almost anywhere provided the soil is not wet. Tough, hardy and very drought tolerant once established. Produces a deep tap root and also fixes its own nitrogen so its pretty much set once its planted. It has bitter compounds in the leaves so wildlife don't eat it but pollinators love the flowers. Does best in full sun and will grow in high desert gardens as well as in the deep south. Takes no care once its established. Will need care the first year then sit back and enjoy the flowers.

A long lived perennial sub shrub - meaning it only grows to about 3 feet (1m) tall forming a compact bushy shape. Its a deciduous member of the pea family so it has pea like leaves. Three tear drop (obovate) leaflets joined together by a thin stalk that attaches it to the stem or branch in an alternate pattern. Leaves are green to gray-green above and paler underneath. In early summer the flowers are borne at the ends of branches on stiff stems. Each flower has its own stalk that attaches alternately to the stem with wide gaps between them. The flowers are bright yellow about 0.5 inches (1.2cm) long and the whole cluster is about 2-3 inches (5-7.6cm ) long. The flowers have broad notched upper petal, two lateral 'wing' petals, and two bottom or keel petals with dark spotted markings at the base of each. After pollination bean like seed pods develop up to 1.5 inches (3cm) long initially green they turn black when ripe. Each contains several hard brown kidney shaped seeds which can come loose making the pods rattle in the wind.
The pods are very long lasting and can often remain on the bush during the winter, dropping just before the new leaves arise.

Seeds have a very hard coat and need to be scarified to help water to enter and the embryo to swell and germinate. We suggest using the Sandpaper Method for best results for you seeds and your hands.
Once seeds have been scarified they need to be cold moist stratified. All our seeds are kept in cold storage but are not scarified but this does seem to reduce the amount of time that they need in most stratification. Refer to our Stratification Instructions to determine the best method for your needs. Stratify seeds for at least 4 weeks. Longer is fine but less time will most likely reduce germination numbers. If using any kind of pot we recommend either paper or peat pots as Baptisia does not like to be transplanted.

Outdoors. while seeds can be directly sown outdoors in late fall or early winter we do not recommend it. If you choose this method scarify the seeds first to help the process along. However the seeds are very nutritious to wildlife which may dig up and eat your seeds so we don't recommend this method.

Baptisia produces a strong tap root and is fussy about disturbance so we recommend using a pot that can be directly planted. This can be paper, peat or any other biodegradable pot. If using a food container check to ensure it does not have a plastic coating that will not degrade before using.

Sow seeds about 1.4 inch (6mm) deep in sterile a well darning seed mix. This can be done before stratification if intending to place outside or in a cold building. For this method ensure that pots are well watered then wrap in a thick transparent plastic bag and place outside or in a cold building. Check on them regularly to ensure nothing has penetrated the bag. It is very important to use sterile mix for this method or mold spores may be present and begin to grow in the soil. Once spring arrives remove pots from the plastic bags and place in bright sunlight. Ensure pots stay moist they will dry out very quickly. Pots can be placed inside plastic pots to help keep the moisture in during this time.

If planting after stratification again use biodegradable pots. Place in a warm environment in good bright light. Germination can occur within 1-3 weeks but it can be erratic and often take much longer. Germination rates can be as high as 70% if conditions are right. We suspect that most seeds will sprout if given enough time. I have had seeds sprout as late as August and some waited until the following year to do so. Do not give up on pots and stop watering them.

Leave seedlings in their pots until roots begin to show through the sides of the pots. If you used really small peat pots you may want to place this inside a larger peat pot and grow on until the seedling is at least 2-3 inches (5-7.5cm) tall before considering planting out. Plant out only after danger of frost is past.

Because of the strong taproot its important that you choose the location of your plant with care as its wont be easy to move once its established. Give it 2-3 feet (60-90 cm) all around to grow.
Hardy to zone 3 will grow down to 9 and tolerate a wide range of temperatures.

Light. If prefers full sun and this is required in zones 3-6a will tolerate some shade in warmer zones although too much shade with produce a more spindly plant and reduce flowering.
Soil. Needs a well draining soil its ideal is sandy loam or gravelly soil. It will grow on rocky slopes with shallow soils. It does not like clay or wet soils although it will survive on clay if on a slope with good drainage. Does not need a lot of organic material and for the most part prefers a poorer soil. Its able to fix its own nitrogen so does not need a lot of help. Overly rich soils can cause it to become too lush and flop over or prone to fungal attack.
Water. needs regular watering for the first year to help get it established but once the tap root is established it does not need watering except in extreme drought. Works well in semi desert gardens that need little water.

Does not need fertilizer in desert style areas or high country a layer of mulch around the roots to help conserve water is recommended but little else is needed.

Pollinators like the flowers but wildlife don't eat it due t the bitter compounds in the leaves. So no deer or rabbits. the Wild Indigo Duskywing butterfly relies it this and other Baptisia species for its larva.

None.

The roots are used medicinally mostly to treat respiratory infections with fever such as strep throat, tonsillitis, laryngitis, sinusitis, influenza and congestion. It is also used for mononucleosis, chronic fatigue with latent infection. In very dilute form it can be used to treat periodontal disease, mouth ulcers and oral thrush. Topically, mostly as a poultice it used to treat abscesses, boils, cellulitis, sores, ulcers, or eczema. There are also reports using it for mastitis or breast abscesses in nursing women in very low dosages.

Dye: It produces a yellow to greenish color from the leaves and stems.
Insect repellent: In olden times bundles of the leaves were used to repel horseflies from horses this carried over into the home where it was used to repel insects with its strong "medicinal" smell. there are also reports of it begin burned to fend off mosquitoes.
Magic:. Amulets made from the leaves and carried on ones person were thought to protect form evil or harm. It was considered as a "plant guardian".

Wild Indigo, Yellow False Indigo, Horseflyweed, Rattleweed, Shoofly, Wild Indigo Root , Indigo-weed, Dyer's Indigo