Baptisia lactea
Baptisia megacarpa
western white indigo
Apalachicola wild indigo
petiolate;
stipules caducous, lanceolate, 2–8 mm;
petiole 5–15 mm;
leaflets 3, blades obovate.
petiolate;
stipules caducous, lanceolate, very small;
petiole 15–20 mm;
leaflets 3, blades elliptic.
8–20-flowered, terminal, stiffly erect, ebracteate.
4–10(–12)-flowered, terminal, not secund, ebracteate.
3–10 mm.
8–15 mm.
18–25 mm;
calyx 7–8 mm, glabrous;
corolla white, 16–23 mm.
20–24 mm;
calyx 8–10 mm, glabrous;
corolla yellow or pale yellow, 18–22 mm.
black in age, ascending to spreading-pendent, plump, ellipsoid-cylindric, 23–50 × 10–30 mm, smooth.
mostly pendent, tan or brownish, inflated, broadly ellipsoid, 30–40 × 20–30 mm, leathery or brittle.
20–30.
10–25.
Baptisia lactea
Baptisia megacarpa
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 megacarpa is a relatively localized endemic superficially similar to the white-flowered B. lactea but readily distinguished by a number of characters, such as its yellow flowers and the thin walls and pale color of the fruits. In the DNA studies of M. G. Mendenhall (1994), B. megacarpa forms a clade with the B. alba-B. australis-B. lactea-B. sphaerocarpa complex.
(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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