Baptisia Royal Purple
Incredibly saturated, dark flowers.
This hybrid false indigo with its strong Baptisia australis influence was selected for its incredibly saturated, dark violet-purple flowers on a plant that otherwise resembles B. australis in vigor, size, and habit. Plants bloom for three weeks commencing in mid- May (USDA Zone 5). The inch-wide flowers are produced on 18’’-long inflorescences, which may be partially hidden in the foliage in warmer zones. Plants are cloaked with attractive blue-green foliage all summer. ‘Royal Purple’ may lodge in shade or on overly fertile soils, and is for full sun only. This complex hybrid was developed mainly from B. australis, and secondarily from B. bracteata and B. sphaerocarpa.
Who Am I?
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Common Name:Royal Purple false indigo
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Botanical Name:Baptisia 'Royal Purple' PP25508
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Type:Perennial
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U.S. Native:YES
Cultural Details
TYPE
U.S. NATIVE
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Full sun
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Moist, but well-drained, fairly adaptable to many soils
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Drought tolerant once established
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4-9
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Summer
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Eggplant purple
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Fall
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Gray
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4'tall by 5.5' wide
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False indigos exhibit good to excellent disease resistance. A seed weevil will predate the seed, but this does not detract from either plant health or display value. The genista broom moth caterpillar (Uresiphita reversalis) can seriously defoliate plants of Baptisia, but this tends to be more of a problem in warmer climes.
What Makes Me Special?
Landscape Use
Origin
The Prairieblues™ false indigos were developed by Jim Ault, Ph.D., at the Chicago Botanic Garden from crosses made between 1999 and 2004. The selections were developed from crossing Baptisia albescens (formerly B. alba), B. australis var. australis, B. australis var. minor, B. bracteata (formerly B. leucophaea), B. sphaerocarpa, and B. tinctoria in various c ombinations. All parent plants and selections were grown in-ground at the Chicago Botanic Garden (USDA Zone 5b) during the breeding and selection process.
