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western white indigo

Florida wild indigo

Habit Herbs to 2 m, glabrous. Herbs to 1 m, glabrous.
Leaves

petiolate;

stipules caducous, lanceolate, 2–8 mm;

petiole 5–15 mm;

leaflets 3, blades obovate.

petiolate;

stipules persistent, lanceolate to elliptic, 10–20 mm;

petiole 1–5 mm;

leaflets 3, blades cuneate-ovate to spatulate, surfaces glabrate.

Racemes

8–20-flowered, terminal, stiffly erect, ebracteate.

1-flowered, terminal, foliose, bracteate.

Pedicels

3–10 mm.

10–40 mm, bracteolate.

Flowers

18–25 mm;

calyx 7–8 mm, glabrous;

corolla white, 16–23 mm.

12–14 mm;

calyx 8–13 mm, lobes longer than tube, glabrate;

corolla yellow, 10–12 mm.

Legumes

black in age, ascending to spreading-pendent, plump, ellipsoid-cylindric, 23–50 × 10–30 mm, smooth.

ascending, ellipsoid to suborbicular, 10–12 × 8–10 mm, ± woody.

Seeds

20–30.

2–4.

2n

= 18.

Baptisia lactea

Baptisia calycosa

Phenology Flowering Apr–May.
Habitat Pine and pine-oak woodlands, white, sandy soils.
Elevation 0–10 m. (0–0 ft.)
Distribution
from USDA
c United States; se United States
from FNA
FL
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Baptisia lactea forms hybrids with B. lanceolata, B. nuttalliana, B. sphaerocarpa (B. × sulphurea Engelmann), and B. tinctoria (B. × deamii Larisey).

Peripheral intergradation between var. lactea and var. pendula occurs (hence their treatment as varieties); they are not known to co-occur at present.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Baptisia calycosa is restricted to Clay and St. Johns counties.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Legumes 10–15 mm wide; mature stipes about as long as calyces; c United States.
var. lactea
1. Legumes 15–30 mm wide; mature stipes much longer than calyces; se United States.
var. pendula
Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Baptisia Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Baptisia
Sibling taxa
B. alba, B. arachnifera, B. australis, B. bracteata, B. calycosa, B. cinerea, B. hirsuta, B. lanceolata, B. lecontei, B. leucophaea, B. megacarpa, B. nuttalliana, B. perfoliata, B. simplicifolia, B. sphaerocarpa, B. tinctoria
B. alba, B. arachnifera, B. australis, B. bracteata, B. cinerea, B. hirsuta, B. lactea, B. lanceolata, B. lecontei, B. leucophaea, B. megacarpa, B. nuttalliana, B. perfoliata, B. simplicifolia, B. sphaerocarpa, B. tinctoria
Subordinate taxa
B. lactea var. lactea, B. lactea var. pendula
Synonyms Dolichos lacteus
Name authority (Rafinesque) Thieret: Sida 3: 446. (1969) Canby: Bot. Gaz. 3: 65. (1878)
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