Baptisia lactea
Baptisia lecontei
western white indigo
pineland wild indigo
petiolate;
stipules caducous, lanceolate, 2–8 mm;
petiole 5–15 mm;
leaflets 3, blades obovate.
not blackening upon drying, petiolate;
stipules mostly deciduous, lanceolate, 2–10 mm;
petiole 2–10 mm;
leaflets 3, blades spatulate to obovate.
8–20-flowered, terminal, stiffly erect, ebracteate.
3–10-flowered, flowers well spaced, terminal, bracteate, bracts persistent.
3–10 mm.
10–20 mm, bracteolate.
18–25 mm;
calyx 7–8 mm, glabrous;
corolla white, 16–23 mm.
10–15 mm;
calyx 6–7 mm, lobes ± equal to tube, glabrous or pubescent;
corolla lemon yellow, 9–14 mm.
black in age, ascending to spreading-pendent, plump, ellipsoid-cylindric, 23–50 × 10–30 mm, smooth.
ascending, ovoid to suborbicular, 8–11 × 8–9 mm, abruptly short-beaked, somewhat woody.
20–30.
2–4.
Baptisia lactea
Baptisia lecontei
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.)
As noted by D. Isely (1981), Baptisia lecontei superficially resembles B. tinctoria in having relatively small flowers, yellow corollas, and somewhat similar legumes. Baptisia tinctoria does not have the persistent, foliaceous bracts and bracteolate pedicels of B. lecontei.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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 |
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