Baptisia australis Starlite Prairieblues - False Indigo

Baptisia 'Starlite' (Prairieblues Series), also known as Indigo Lupin, is a new hybrid obtained at the Chicago Botanic Garden, derived from two wild species that bloom in the great American prairie. This very prolific variety often blooms before others, offering generous spikes of periwinkle blue pea flowers in spring, delicately tipped with white at the base. From a distance, this flowering seems to sparkle in the sun, and bends over a foliage of green-blue and finely cut clover, attractive even outside of flowering. This perennial plant takes its time to settle, but it is undemanding, very perennial, and quite drought-resistant once well established, in a neutral to acidic soil.

Baptisia 'Starlite' is a perennial plant from the Fabaceae family resulting from the hybridization of Baptisia australis, native to the centre of the United States, and Baptisia bracteata, a spreading and bushy perennial with pale yellow flowers, native to the eastern part of this continent. All Baptisias grow spontaneously in prairies and woods, among tall grasses, without fuss, perfectly tolerating frost and dry summers. They can live up to 100 years.

The 'Starlite' variety has a rather spreading habit in its young age, then it forms over time a large bushy clump reaching 90cm (35in) in height, with a spread of 1.20m (4ft). Its growth seems to be slightly faster than that of other hybrid varieties. The flowering takes place quite early, in May, in the form of long butterfly-like flower spikes reaching 60cm (24in) and gracefully bending under the weight of the flowers. Each one blooms from a dark lavender to violet bud, then it opens up into a blue-mauve colour, with a small pale yellow to white area at the base of each petal. The fruit of this Baptisia is a green pod that turns black when ripe. The foliage, which disappears in winter, is also very ornamental as it sways in the wind. It is composed of leaves divided into three rounded leaflets, resembling those of alfalfa or clover. This plant develops from a specific root system, which dives very deeply into the soil to draw and transform nutrients thanks to the presence of symbiotic bacteria lodged in small nodules. Like all Fabaceae, this Baptisia contributes to enrich the soil it grows in.

Baptisias are close cousins of lupins, which are much more well-known in Europe, but they are much less demanding in terms of humidity but share with them a preference for acidic soils. They possess very robust roots that allow them to live long in our gardens but require time to settle. A true all-terrain plant, the 'Starlite' false indigo will find its place in a romantic garden, a dry garden, or in natural areas. It is also useful for decorating a degraded plot of land, which often surrounds a recently built house. It looks stunning alongside roses, Galega, Buddleias, Eremurus himalaicus, or Allium bulgaricum. It also pairs well with purple Linarias or hybrid mulleins, which are equally spectacular.

The vernacular name 'false indigo' comes from the use that some Native American peoples made of these dye plants. Indeed, they provide colouring pigments comparable to those of true indigos (from the Antillean genus Indigofera), but of lesser quality.