FNPS Plant Database

Baptisia simplicifolia

scareweed
  • Photo by: Jeannie Brodhead, Saracennia Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

scareweed

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Baptisia simplicifolia

Family:

Fabaceae (Leguminosae)

Plant Specifics

Form:

flower

Size:

1.5 to 3 ft tall.

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

pale yellow, greenish yellow

Fruit Color:

black, woody pods

Phenology:

Winter dormant. Plant dries and breaks off becoming a tumbleweed.

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Treat as a small shrub even though this is not woody or use as a background plant in a wildflower garden. 

Considerations:

Toxic to livestock and humans.

Availability:

Native Nurseries, FNPS Plant Sales

Propagation:

Seed (scarification  may be beneficial but not required).  

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Somewhat moist, no flooding -to- Short very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Clay, Loam

Soil pH:

Acidic to circum-neutral

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Caterpillars, Mammals

Larval host for wild indigo duskywing ( Erynnis baptisiae ) and Zarucco duskywing ( Erynnis zarucco ) butterflies.


Pollinated by bumble bees.

Deer and rabbits browse the foliage, and as a legume it provides nutritious, protein-rich food. 

Native Habitats:

Flatwoods, sandhills and other upland open pinelands

Natural Range in Florida:

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Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

This plant is a legume and its roots have nitrogen-fixing nodules on them. It is useful on nutrient poor soils.



Baptisia simplicifolia is a Florida endemic and is listed as Threatened by the FDACS.  

Citations:

Anderson, M.J., D.F. Kurtycz, and J.R. Cline. (2015). Baptisia poisoning: a new and toxic look-alike in the neighborhood. The Journal of emergency medicine, 48(1), 39–42. ( https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2014.09.037. Accessed 2025.


Coile, N. and M. Garland. (2010). Notes on Florida's Endangered and Threatened Plants. https://ccmedia.fdacs.gov/content/download/25089/file/notes-on-floridas-endangered-and-threatened-plants.pdf. Florida Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Tallahassee.


Nelson, Gil. (2005). East Gulf Coastal Plain Wildflowers. Falcon Guides, Guilford, CT.


Taylor, Walter K. (2013). Florida Wildflowers: A Comprehensive Guide. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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