Apalachicola Wild Indigo - Baptisia megacarpa

Once again, thanks to my friend Lily Byrd, I have these wonderful photos to share.  Apalachicola wild indigo (Baptisia megacarpa) is a state-endangered species found only locally in six counties in the north Florida Panhandle adjacent to Georgia and Alabama. It is very rare in Georgia and a bit less so in Alabama.  Throughout this region, it is found in semi-shady to shady moist, but well-drained, deciduous woodlands.  

Apalachicola wild indigo is a perennial herbaceous plant that dies back to the ground in winter and arises from a stout/deep taproot in the spring.  It eventually reaches about 3 feet tall with multiple erect stems that form a zig-zag pattern and a spreading crown.  Like most other members of the legume family, it has compound leaves. In this species, the oval leaflets are up to 6 inches long in clusters of three and attached to the stem on short petioles.  The undersides of the leaflets are silvery.

Flowering occurs in spring - April and May in Florida.  The drooping flower clusters are up to 6 inches long and comprised of about a dozen individual flowers.  Each flower is creamy white, but with a definite yellowish cast.  This easily distinguishes it from Florida's other 2 white-flowered species.  These are pollinated, like other members of this species, by bumblebees.  Fruiting occurs later and the large inflated pods ripen several months later.

It is sometimes possible to find other species of this genus for sale in Florida by members of FANN - the Florida Association of Native Nurseries.  This species, however, has never been grown commercially to the best of my knowledge - likely because of its exacting habitat requirements.  Like so many of our native wildflowers, it is best to simply admire it in the wild if you are lucky enough to find it blooming in the spring.