Baptisia lactea
Baptisia sphaerocarpa
western white indigo
green wild indigo, round wild indigo, yellow wild indigo
petiolate;
stipules caducous, lanceolate, 2–8 mm;
petiole 5–15 mm;
leaflets 3, blades obovate.
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.
8–20-flowered, terminal, stiffly erect, ebracteate.
5+-flowered, terminal, stiffly erect, bracteate, bracts caducous.
3–10 mm.
2–5 mm.
18–25 mm;
calyx 7–8 mm, glabrous;
corolla white, 16–23 mm.
18–22 mm;
calyx 7–9 mm, glabrous;
corolla bright yellow, 16–20 mm.
black in age, ascending to spreading-pendent, plump, ellipsoid-cylindric, 23–50 × 10–30 mm, smooth.
ascending to spreading, suborbicular, 7–11 × 7–11 mm, woody, glabrous.
20–30.
2–4(–6).
= 18.
Baptisia lactea
Baptisia sphaerocarpa
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 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. 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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