Baptisia

Perennial baptisia Baptisia australis

Description

A pale green dye produced from the leaves and blue flowers of Baptisia australis. This medium size perennial herb from the pea family is native to the central and eastern United States. The leaves and flowers can be boiled in water to produce a green dye with aluminum or orange dye with chrome. A dark green is obtained with iron. Baptisia dye contains flavones (spartein, luteolin, apigenin), flavonols and indican. A similar plant called false indigo (Baptisia tinctoria) is in the same family.

Horseflyweed Baptisia tinctoria

Synonyms and Related Terms

Baptisia australis (wild blue indigo); Baptisia tinctoria (false indigo); indaco selvatico (It.); yellow indigo; rattle flower;

Additional Images

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  False indigo plant (Baptisia tinctoria)

Authority

• John and Margaret Cannon, John and Margaret Cannon, Dye Plants and Dyeing, Herbert Press, London, 1994

• The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983 Comment: p. 985