Baptisia simplicifolia
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Scareweed
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. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Propagation: | Seed (scarification may be beneficial but not required). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Availability: | Native nurseries, FNPS plant sales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Light: | Full Sun, Part Shade | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: |
always floodedextremely dry |
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| (Somewhat moist, no flooding ----- to ----- Short very dry periods) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: | Somewhat moist, no flooding ----- to ----- Short very dry periods | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Water Flooding Tolerance: | Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Spray/ Salty Soil Tolerance: | Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soil or other substrate: | Humus (organic, upland), Sand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soil pH: | Acidic to circum-neutral | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ecology
| Wildlife: |
Deer and rabbits browse the foliage, and as a legume it provides nutritious, protein-rich food. | |
| Insects: | Larval host for wild indigo duskywing (Erynnis baptisiae) and Zarucco duskywing (Erynnis zarucco) butterflies. Pollinated by bumble bees. | |
| Native Habitats: | Flatwoods, sandhills and other upland open pinelands |
Distribution and Planting Zones
Natural Range in Florida
USDA Zones
Suitable to grow in:
8A 8B
USDA zones are based on minimum winter temperatures
Comments
| 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. |