Herbs spreading, to 0.5 m, glabrous or pubescent. Stems deflexed in flower. Leaves petiolate; stipules persistent, ovate to triangular, 10–35 mm; petiole 1–4 mm mid stem; leaflets 3, blades elliptic to oblanceolate or broadly lanceolate to cuneate-obovate. Racemes 8–30-flowered, axillary, secund, bracteate, bracts persistent. Pedicels 25–40 mm. Flowers 18–25 mm; calyx 7–11 mm, gla­brous or pubescent; corolla yellow, 17–23 mm. Legumes ascending or pendent, ellipsoid-lanceoloid to lanceoloid, 40–55 × 15–20 mm, ± papery, pubescent to glabrate. Seeds 20–30. 2n = 18.

Phenology: Flowering Mar–May.
Habitat: Grasslands, open areas, pine-oak woodlands, sandy soils.
Elevation: 10–3000 m.

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

Ark., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., Ky., La., Mich., Minn., Mo., Nebr., Okla., Tex., Wis.

Discussion

Baptisia leucophaea is widespread and highly vari­able; the variation is compounded by hybridization with other taxa. M. M. Larisey (1940) treated B. leucophaea as having two varieties and treated B. leucophaea var. laevicaulis at specific rank. D. Isely (1981, 1998) included all of the Larisey taxa in the relatively isolated B. bracteata. There is little intergradation between B. bracteata and B. leucophaea.

Baptisia leucophaea is known to form F1 hybrids and backcrosses with B. australis (B. × bicolor Greenman & Larisey), B. lactea, B. nuttalliana, and B. sphaerocarpa (B. × intermedia Larisey [= B. × stricta Larisey and B. × bushii Small]); see discussion under 3. B. sphaerocarpa.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.