FNPS Plant Database

Baptisia simplicifolia

scareweed

PHOTOS COMING SOON!

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

Coming Soon!

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:

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:

Coile, N. and M. Garland.  2003.  Notes on Florida's Endangered and Threatened Plants.  https://www.fdacs.gov/content/download/9832/file/Notes2003.pdf.



Taylor, Walter. 2013. Florida Wildflowers: A Cpmprehensive Guide. University Press of Florida.



Nelson, Gil. 2005. East Gulf Coastal Plain Wildflowers . A Falcon Guide.



Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021.  Atlas of Florida Plants  ( http://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.  https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/Plant.aspx?id=1148.



Wikipedia.  2021.  Baptisia.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptisia (toxicity).

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