Spiked Wild Indigo - Baptisia albescens

Thanks to Alan Weakley, I have this photo to share with you all.  Spiked wild indigo (Baptisia albescens) is another of the wonderful wild indigos native to Florida.  It is recorded from only five counties in the central Florida Panhandle, but also occurs in five states to our immediate north - Georgia, Alabama, the two Carolinas, and eastern Tennessee.  Like its close cousin, wild white indigo (B. alba), it is found in well-drained soils of woodland borders and open woods and is often found in dry woodlands, pine flatwoods, and roadsides. It is a perennial and is distinguished from its close cousin by its narrower leaflets (not shown here) and the yellowish color of its lower keeled fused petals.  The tree-parted leaflets are alternate on the stem and noticeably elliptical.

Spiked wild indigo is one of the smaller and bushier species of Baptisia and grows best in partial shade to full sun. It is known for being a tough, long-lived plant that tolerates a variety of conditions from drought, poor soil, dry soil, and erosion. It dies back to the ground each winter and reaches its mature height of about 2-4 feet by early summer.  It also has a mature width of about the same.  The flower stalks hold racemes of several dozen flowers.   These are mostly pollinated by bees.  Like other members of this genus, it serves as a host to the wild indigo duskywing skipper.

Baptisias are toxic if eaten so some care should be taken if planted in a landscape. All parts are mildly toxic and include symptoms such as nausea and diarrhea. False indigo may be propagated by cuttings or seeds. The plant has a deep taproot which makes it drought tolerant, but also difficult to transplant. The fruits are unlike other Baptisia species being cylindric, about 3 times as long as the diameter, and yellowish-brown (rather than black) when mature. It has a puffy bean pod. Fruits are ripe from July to October. 

This is a species that I have never seen propagated by nurseries affiliated with FANN - the Florida Association of Native Plant Nurseries.  It may be possible to find it from native nurseries in other states where it occurs naturally.  For now, however, it seems best to simply admire it if chanced upon in its natural range. 

Harper's Beauty - Harperocallis flava

Harper's beauty (Harperocallis flava) is rare endemic wildflower vouchered from only 3 counties in the Apalachicola National Forest region of the Florida Panhandle.  These photos come courtesy of my friend Lily Byrd and are used with permission.  It is found in open wet habitats in this region - bogs, pitcher plant wet prairies and wet savannas.  It was first described in 1965 by a graduate student at FSU, Sidney McDaniel, and placed in its own genus - a name in honor of Roland Harper and with a suffix meaning beautiful.  Harper's beauty is definitely beautiful, but easily overlooked when not in bloom.

It is an upright perennial herb that dies back to the ground in winter and reemerges in spring. It eventually reaches a mature height of 2 feet by April on thin stems with narrow leaves 4-8 inches in length.  The basal leaves superficially resemble those of an iris.  A single bright yellow flower is produced atop a thin nearly-leafless stalk by late April to May.  Each is composed of 6 petals - actually "tepals" as the 3 sepals look identical to the 3 petals.  These surround the reproductive parts - 6 stamens and 3 carpals.  The flowers are visited by a variety of pollinating insects.

Harper's beauty has never been offered for sale commercially to the best of my knowledge by any native plant nursery in Florida. Its rarity within the wetlands of Apalachicola National Forest and its strict growing requirements make a very poor choice for commercial propagation for home landscapes.  Look for it if you are visiting ANF in the late spring and appreciate it for what it is.

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.

Heart-leaved Meadow Alexander - Zizia aptera

Heart-leaved meadow alexander (Zizia aptera) is a perennial wildflower recorded only from Holmes and Calhoun Counties in the Florida Panhandle though it is widespread throughout much of the eastern and upper western states of the U.S.  Throughout this region, it occurs in the semi-shaded and moist understories of deciduous woodlands. It is easily distinguished from its more-common and sometimes propagated relative (Z. aurea) by its heart-shaped basal leaves.  Both are members of the carrot family (Apiaceae) and are often reputed to be hosts for the eastern black swallowtail. Though this may be the case, neither plant is listed as such in most of the references I have.

Heart-leaved meadow alexander emerges in the early spring and reaches its mature height of 1-3 feet by April to early May.  Like other members of this genus, it produces a broad crown (2-3 inches across) of golden-yellow tiny flowers on a compound umbel.  These are aesthetically attractive, but also draw the attention of small bees, syrphid flies, and butterflies.  Small dark-brown seeds mature by summer and can be used to propagate additional plants. Like other "carrots", sow these seed just beneath the soil.

This is a rare plant in Florida and not likely to be propagated in the future by native nurseries here, though it may be possible to find seed from out-of-state sources. As its close relative, Z. aurea, is often available, it would seem best to rely on it for landscape uses. 

The photos above were taken by my friend Lily Byrd and are used with permission.