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Baptisia australis

Baptisia · Blue False Indigo · Blue Wild Indigo

Family FabaceaeGenus Baptisia

A bushy clump with many upright spikes of violet-blue pea flowers above blue-green three-parted leaves
The whole plantJean-Pol GRANDMONTCC BY-SA 3.0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

The plant

Habit
PerennialExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Habit
perennialPlants of the World Online
Height
3-4 ft0.9-1.2 mExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Spread
2-4 ft0.6-1.2 mExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Flower
Blue, Gold/Yellow, Purple/Lavender, WhiteExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Blooms
Spring, SummerExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Native range
Native to the lower 48 statesPLANTS Database
Hardiness zones
3-9Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox

Growing conditions

Sun
Full sun; Partial ShadeExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil
ClayExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Moisture
Good Drainage, Occasionally WetExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — NC State Extension; Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; PLANTS Database — USDA NRCS.

Worth knowing

Protocol

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 70 days to germinate.

90% germination in 7–70 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Baptisia p. 106Public domain
Show the original text
Baptisia (Fabaceae). B. australis germ. 70(90-95% in 1-10w) using either fresh seed or seed DS 6 m at 70 or 40. Grinding a notch in the seed did not significantly increase the rate of germination and caused severe increases in rotting which lowered the percent germination. Sowing at 40 ultimately gave about the same percent germination,, but germination extended over two cycles. Rates are not presented because they are probably governed largely by rates of diffusion of moisture through the seed coat and in fact did not fit zero or first order rate laws.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Baptisia p. 106. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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