prairie false indigo

Leaves have alternate arrangement, and are trifoliate, narrow, and oblong. The leaves are compound and share a common stalk. White flowers occur from a long spike inflorescence. The white flowers that bloom from the spike inflorescence are paplilonaceous flowers which are identifiable by their irregular shape and five flower petals that have bilateral symmetry. Blooming occurs from April to July, earlier in the southern part of the range. The species is native to grasslands, but is grown in some gardens. It can also be found in disturbed habitats, such as along roadsides, hiking trails, and railways. It favors moist soils. Baptisia alba var. alba (syn. B. pendula) can be differentiated from B. alba var. macrophylla (syn. B. lactea and B. leucantha) on the basis that the former occurs only in the southeastern US and has fruits that hang downward when ripe. Baptisia alba is described as a facultative upland plant in all parts of its range.

B. alba is a host plant for caterpillars of the wild indigo duskywing butterfly and the indigo stem borer moth. Bumblebees pollinate the flowers. Baptisia alba is insect pollinated and is recorded to have been visited in northern Florida by the bee species Andrena hilaris, Augochloropsis metallica, Bombus griseocollis, Bombus impatiens, Bombus pensylvanicus, Eucera dubitata, Habropoda laboriosa, Hoplitis pilosifrons, Hoplitis truncata, Lasioglossum reticulatum, Lasioglossum trigeminum, Lasioglossum weemsi/leviense, Megachile georgica, Megachile mucida, Megachile pseudobrevis, Osmia inspergens, and Osmia sandhouseae.