Baptisia
Baptisia sphaerocarpa
false indigo, wild indigo
green wild indigo, round wild indigo, yellow wild indigo
stiffly erect or spreading, glabrous or pubescent.
alternate, odd-pinnate;
stipules present or absent;
petiolate, sessile, or subsessile;
leaflets usually 3, rarely 1 or 2, blade margins entire, surfaces glabrous or pubescent.
petiolate;
stipules deciduous, subulate, 4–16 mm;
petiole 1–4 mm;
leaflets 3 to mid stem, or 1 or 2 distally, blades obovate or elliptic to oblanceolate.
5+-flowered, terminal, stiffly erect, bracteate, bracts caducous.
1–30+-flowered, axillary or terminal, racemes;
bracts present or absent, 2, well developed when present;
bracteoles usually absent, distal to middle of pedicel when present.
2–5 mm.
papilionaceous;
calyx campanulate, subactinomorphic, lobes 4;
corolla white, yellow, violet, or blue, petals mostly distinct, keel petals slightly connate;
stamens 10, distinct;
anthers dorsifixed;
ovary distinctly stipitate, glabrous or pubescent.
18–22 mm;
calyx 7–9 mm, glabrous;
corolla bright yellow, 16–20 mm.
legumes, stipitate, inflated, suborbicular, lanceoloid, ellipsoid, oblong, ovoid, or cylindric, indehiscent, leathery, glabrous or pubescent.
ascending to spreading, suborbicular, 7–11 × 7–11 mm, woody, glabrous.
2–30+, obovoid to ovoid.
2–4(–6).
= 9.
= 18.
Baptisia
Baptisia sphaerocarpa
Species 17 (17 in the flora).
Baptisia is monophyletic and most closely related to the North American species of Thermopsis (B. L. Turner 1981; M. G. Mendenhall 1994; Wang H. C. et al. 2006). It is mostly confined to the eastern United States; B. australis var. minor and B. tinctoria barely extend into Canada. Baptisia is perhaps best known for having very distinct species that commonly hybridize, which confounded early botanists. For example, M. M. Larisey (1940) recognized 30 species in Baptisia, most of which are of hybrid origin. D. Isely (1981) provided an excellent account in which 15 species were recognized; in his account of 1998, 16 species were recognized, some with two or more varieties. Turner (2006c) provided detailed occurrence maps for the species and varieties treated here.
D. Isely (1981) provided a detailed summary of the hybridization problems in Baptisia. As documented by R. E. Alston and B. L. Turner (1962) and M. A. Kosnik et al. (1996), anywhere two species of Baptisia are found growing together or in proximity, hybrids and/or their derivatives can be expected.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Baptisia sphaerocarpa forms hybrids with B. lactea, B. leucophaea (B. × intermedia Larisey [= B. × bushii Small and B. × stricta Larisey]), and B. nuttalliana. Baptisia × bushii was treated as a species by M. M. Larisey (1940). Baptisia × intermedia, as described by Larisey, was said to be a hybrid of B. leucophaea var. glabrescens Larisey and B. viridis, which is treated here as synonymous with B. sphaerocarpa. Interestingly, these three hybrids (B. × bushii, B. × intermedia, and B. × stricta) key out in adjacent couplets in the treatment by Larisey.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Leaflets 1. | → 2 |
2. Herbs pubescent; Brantley and Wayne counties, Georgia. | B. arachnifera |
2. Herbs glabrous; Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina. | → 3 |
3. Leaves not perfoliate. | B. simplicifolia |
3. Leaves perfoliate. | B. perfoliata |
1. Leaflets usually 3 (1 or 2 distally in B. sphaerocarpa). | → 4 |
4. Pedicels bracteolate. | → 5 |
5. Flowers 10–15 mm; calyces 6–7 mm, lobes ± equal to tube. | B. lecontei |
5. Flowers 10–14 mm; calyces 8–13 mm, lobes much longer than tube. | → 6 |
6. Herbs glabrous; ne Florida. | B. calycosa |
6. Herbs pubescent; easternmost Florida Panhandle. | B. hirsuta |
4. Pedicels ebracteolate. | → 7 |
7. Corollas dull violet to deep blue. | B. australis |
7. Corollas white, cream, or yellow. | → 8 |
8. Corollas white, cream, or pale yellow. | → 9 |
9. Legumes cylindric to oblong-lanceoloid, 7–10 mm wide; flowers. | B. alba |
9. Legumes ellipsoid-cylindric or ellipsoid-lanceoloid to lanceoloid, 12–30 mm wide; flowers 18–25 mm. | → 10 |
10. Racemes terminal, stiffly erect, not secund; corollas white. | B. lactea |
10. Racemes axillary, ascending to horizontal, secund; corollas cream or pale yellow. | B. bracteata |
8. Corollas usually yellow (sometimes cream or pale yellow in B. bracteata and B. megacarpa). | → 11 |
11. Legumes suborbicular, woody; leaflets 3 to mid stem, 1 or 2 distally. | B. sphaerocarpa |
11. Legumes ovoid, suborbicular, ellipsoid, lanceoloid, or ellipsoid-lanceoloid, leathery, brittle, papery, or woody; leaflets 3 throughout. | → 12 |
12. Corollas 12–16 mm; legumes 8–15 mm. | B. tinctoria |
12. Corollas (15–)18–28 mm; legumes 8–55 mm. | → 13 |
13. Racemes secund, axillary, 8–30-flowered. | → 14 |
14. Petioles 1–4 mm mid stem; c, n United States. | B. leucophaea |
14. Petioles 5–14 mm mid stem; se United States. | → 15 |
15. Bracts persistent. | B. bracteata |
15. Bracts deciduous. | B. cinerea |
13. Racemes not secund, terminal or axillary, 1–10(–12)-flowered. | → 16 |
16. Mid stem leaves sessile or subsessile; corollas 15–20 mm; sc United States. | B. nuttalliana |
16. Mid stem leaves subsessile or petiolate; corollas 18–25 mm; se United States. | → 17 |
17. Petioles 15–20 mm mid stem; legumes 30–40 × 20–30 mm. | B. megacarpa |
17. Petioles 0.1–12 mm mid stem; legumes 10–25 × 10–12 mm. | B. lanceolata |
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