False indigo (Baptisia australis)

False indigo (Baptisia australis) is a perennial plant that can grow 50cm – 1.5m tall and 50cm – 1.5m wide.

This plant has several common names including: false indigo, bastard lupine, blue false indigo, false lupine, golden indigo, indigo weed or tall false indigo.

This is a deciduous plant that takes 2-5 years to reach full maturity.

Plant profile

Common name: false indigo, bastard lupine, blue false indigo, false lupine, golden indigo, indigo weed, tall false indigo
Scientific name: Baptisia australis
Plant type: Perennials
Habit: Clump-forming
Height: 50cm – 1.5m
Spread: 50cm – 1.5m
Foliage: Deciduous
Sunlight: Full Sun
Soil: Loam, Sand
Moisture: Well drained
Garden type: Informal Garden, Wildflower meadow, Wildlife Gardens
Planting type: Cut Flowers, Flower borders and bedding, Low Maintenance
Other characteristics: Drought resistant, RHS Award of Garden Merit

Seasonal colors

How to plant False indigo (Baptisia australis) – peganum from Small Dole, England, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Cultivation profiles – Growing False indigo (Baptisia australis) – Denis.prévôt, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons