Baptisia. LEGUMLNOS^. 187 



Tride VIII. SOrifOREjE. DC. 



SopiiORE£ and Podalyrie^s. Berith. 



Corolla papilionaceous. Stamens 10, distinct: anthers uniform. Legume continuous, or 

 frequently monihform, hut not jointed. Embryo incurved or inflexed, or often straight. 

 — Leaves unequally pinnate, palmate or simple, not stipellate. 



22. BAPTISIA. Vent. dec. nov.p. 9 ; Benth. comm. Leg. mem. p. 2; Endl. gen. 6421. 



W7iO or FALSE INDIGO. 



[ From the Greek, bapta, to (Jye; some of the species yielding a coloring matter like indigo.) 



Calyx campanulate, 4 - 5-clcft at the summit. Vexillum rather shorter than the wings, or 

 about the same length, orbicular, emarginate, the sides reflexed : wings oblong : keel 

 slightly incurved, nearly as long as the wings ; the petals somewhat united. Ovary stipate, 

 with numerous ovules. Style curved, dilated below, attenuated upward : stigma minute. 

 Legume slipitate, inflated. — Perennial North American herbs, with simple or palmately 

 trifoliolate leaves. Stipules often small or caducous. Flowers in terminal racemes, or 

 sometimes solitary and axillary. Pedicels usually without bracts. 



1. Baptisia tijvctoria, R. Broivn. Common Wild Indigo. 



Plant smooth, much branched ; leaves- trifoliolate, nearly sessile ; leaflets obovate-cuneiform, 

 rounded and often emarginate at the summit ; stipules and bracts minute, deciduous ; racemes 

 short, few-flowered ; pedicels shorter than the (yellow) flowers ; legume fval-globose, on a 

 long stipe.— J?. Br. in liort. Kew. {ed. 2.) 3. p. G ; Ell. sk. I. p. 467; Nutt. gen. 2. p. 282; 

 Torr. fl. \.p. 441 ; DC. prodr. 2. p. 100 ; Hook. fl. Bor.-Am. 1. p. 129 ; Beck, hot. p. 77 ; 

 Darlingt. fl. Cest. p. 404 ; Torr. ^ Gr. f. N. Am. 1. p. 386. Sophora tinctoria, Linn. 

 Podalyria tinctoria, Lam. ill. t. 327 ; Willd. sp. 3. p. 503 ; Michx. Jl. 1. p. 265 ; Pursh, 

 fl. I. p. 308 ; Bat. mag. t. 1099 ; Bigel. Jl. Bost. p. 170. 



Plant 2-3 feet high, with very numerous spreading branches, somewhat glaucous. Leaf- 

 lets about three-fourths of an inch long : common petiole 1—3 lines long, in the upper leaves 

 almost wanting. Stipules very minute. Racemes 3 - 6-flowered, loose. Flowers about half 

 an inch long. Calyx 4-cleft ; the upper segment (consisting of the 2 upper ones united) 

 broader. Corolla bright yellow. Ovary with 6-8 ovules. Legume about half an inch long, 

 exclusive of the stipe which is nearly of the same length, acuminate with the persistent base 

 of the style ; of a dark bluish color, or nearly black when ripe. Seed ovoid, light brown, 

 with a small round hilum. 



Dry sandy woods and fields. Fl. June -August. Fr. September. The plant usually 

 turns black in drying. It yields a quantity of coarse indigo, much resembling the common 

 fig blue. It is also employed medicinally, being reputed to possess astringent, cathartic, 

 emetic and stimulating properties. See Thatcher''s Dispensatory, and Wood ^ Bache's U. S. 

 Dispens. appen. 



24* 



