Baptisia alba

 ( Alba ) 

Baptisia alba, commonly called white wild indigo or white false indigo, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the bean family Fabaceae. It is native in central and eastern North America, and is typically found in open woodland areas and prairies with tall grasslands.Petersen, Chris E., Renee E. Petersen, and Rachel Meek. "Comparison of common factors affecting seed yield in the congeners, Baptisia alba and Baptisia bracteata." Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science 99.1 (2006): 31-36.

The plant is typically tall, but can be taller, with white, pealike flowers.

There are two varieties, Baptisia alba var. alba and Baptisia alba var. macrophylla.

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Description Leaves have alternate arrangement, and are trifoliate, narrow, and oblong.

(2025). 9781887247597, Conservation Commission of the State of Missouri. ISBN 9781887247597

The leaves are compound and share a common stalk. White flowers occur from a long spike inflorescence. The white flowers that bloom from the spike inflorescence are Paplilonaceous flowers which are identifiable by their irregular shape and five flower petals that have bilateral symmetry. Blooming occurs from April to July, earlier in the southern part of the range. The species is native to grasslands, but is grown in some gardens. It can also be found in disturbed habitats, such as along roadsides, hiking trails, and railways..Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: June 2014. Collectors: H. E. Ahles, L. C. Anderson, R. Athey, K. E. Blum, M. B. Brooks, J. R. Burkhalter, A. F. Clewell, D.S. Correll, R. F. Doren, W. H. Duncan, L. R. Fox, J. P. Gillespie, R. K. Godfrey, N. C. Henderson, R. H. Houk, G. R. Knight, R. Komarek, R. Kral, R. L. Lazor, R.S. Leisner, K. MacClendon, A. W. Macias, S. McDaniel, R. Mitchell, G. W. Ramsey, J. D. Ray Jr., L. M. Umbach, and R. L. Wilbur. States and Counties: Florida: Calhoun, Dixie, Escambia, Gadsden, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor, Wakulla, and Washington. Georgia: Grady, Fannin, Lowndes, Taliaferro, Thomas, and White. Kansas: Franklin. Mississippi: Hancock and Panola. Missouri: Vernon. North Carolina: Stanly. South Carolina: Lancaster, Richland, and Sumter. Texas: Red River. It favors moist soils.

Baptisia alba var. alba (syn. B. pendula) can be differentiated from B. alba var. macrophylla (syn. B. lactea and B. leucantha) on the basis that the former occurs only in the southeastern US and has fruits that hang downward when ripe.

Baptisia alba is described as a facultative upland plant in all parts of its range.

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Ecology

B. alba is a host plant for caterpillars of the wild indigo duskywing butterfly and the indigo stem borer moth. Bumblebees pollinate the flowers.

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Predation

One of the main predators and factors in the reproduction of B. alba are the Trichapion rostrum, commonly referred to as the Wild Indigo Weevil, or Baptisia Seed Pod Weevil which are a type of beetle with an elongated snout that predate on the pre-dispersed B. alba seeds. The Weevils utilize the B. alba flowers and seeds by inserting their eggs into the fruit of the B. alba plant by creating an opening at the base and pushing their eggs into the fruit itself where they feed on the seeds of the plant until they develop and emerge from the fruit. The weevils can be found on the pods of the B. alba, inserting their eggs, just before their pods open up and begin to bloom. The inserted weevil offspring uses the seeds of the B. alba pod while they grow inside the pod until they reach full development. The seed production of B. alba is impacted by seed predation which can cause B. alba to abort damaged fruits that are frequented by predators in order to give more nutrients to healthier seed pods to increase their chance of survival.

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Toxicity

The species can be fatal to cows that ingest the plant. It can cause irritation to humans and is possibly poisonous.

Categories: Alba, Flora Of The Great Lakes Region, Flora Of The Great Plains, Flora Of The Northeastern United States, Flora Of The Southeastern United States, Flora Without Expected Tnc Conservation Status

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