''Baptisia bracteata'', otherwise known as longbract wild indigo,
[ long-bract wild indigo, long-bracted wild indigo, plains wild indigo,]perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...
herbaceous plant in the '''' (bean) family that is native to the central and eastern United States. It is one of the earliest blooming species of ''Baptisia
''Baptisia'' (wild indigo, false indigo) is a genus in the legume family, Fabaceae. They are flowering herbaceous perennial plants with pea-like flowers, followed by pods, which are sometimes inflated. They are native to woodland and grassland in ...
'', beginning to bloom in March in certain areas of the United States.raceme
A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...
s) spread out sideways or sprawl across the ground, unlike most other ''Baptisia
''Baptisia'' (wild indigo, false indigo) is a genus in the legume family, Fabaceae. They are flowering herbaceous perennial plants with pea-like flowers, followed by pods, which are sometimes inflated. They are native to woodland and grassland in ...
'' species, which have vertical racemes.
Description
''Baptisia bracteata'' grows as one or more stems from its root system, up to tall. It is a bushy plant with stems that branch occasionally, and it can be up to wide. The stems are round and light green to purple. Leaves are arranged alternately along the stem and are divided into 3 leaflets, which are long and across. They have smooth margins and are usually oblanceolate
The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...
in shape.inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
is a long raceme, long, drooping below the foliage due to its weight. Each raceme has few to many pea-type flowers and leaflike, lanceolate
The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...
bracts, long. The bloom color ranges from white to creamy yellow.
Etymology
The genus name ''Baptisia'' comes from the Greek word meaning "to dye". The specific epithet ''bracteata'' is from a Latin word meaning "having bracts".
Distribution and habitat
''B. bracteata'' is native in the United States from Minnesota to the north, Texas to the west and south, and North Carolina to the east.
Ecology
The flowers bloom April to June and are pollinated by bumblebees
A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related gener ...
, which are active making their nests at this time.hoary edge
''Cecropterus lyciades'', the hoary edge, is a species of skipper in the family Hesperiidae which can be seen throughout the eastern United States in open woodlands, deciduous mixed forest and sandy areas. ''Achalarus lyacides'' is an uncommon b ...
.
References
External links
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15525390
Flora of the Eastern United States
Sophoreae