| Baptisia tinctoria | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Baptisia |
| Species: | B. tinctoria |
| Binomial name | |
| Baptisia tinctoria | |
Baptisia tinctoria (common names include yellow false indigo, wild indigo, [1] wild-indigo [2] and horseflyweed [3] ) is a herbaceous perennial plant in the family Fabaceae. It is native to eastern North America.
Baptisia tinctoria is found throughout the eastern United States, west to Minnesota, and south to Florida. [4] As it is rare in some parts of its range, it is protected by some state authorities: in Kentucky it is threatened; in Maine it is considered endangered. [5] It prefers dry meadow and open woodland environments. [6]
The multiple bushy stems of Baptisia tinctoria reach 2 to 3 feet tall. The leaves are silver-green; each is divided into three leaflets about ½ inch long. The flowers are yellow and grow in spikes 1½ to 3 inches long. [7]
The leaves are eaten by some lepidopteran caterpillars, for example the Io moth (Automeris io).
On Martha's Vineyard, the species is a tumbleweed: it grows in a globular form, breaks off at the root in the autumn, and tumbles about. [1]
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