Wild
Indigo (Baptisia
tinctoria or Sophora tinctoria)
Wild indigo, a member
of the pea family, grows well in dry woods in the southeastern United
States,3 though its range extends north and west to Minnesota and New
Mexico.2,18 It is a bluish perennial with many branches and grows up to
3 feet tall.5,18 The alternating leaves are wedge-shaped at the base,
rounded at the tip and are brittle.5 The yellow, pea-like flowers appear
from May to September on upper branchlets.18 The fruit is a bluish-black
oblong pod and the roots are blackish and woody.3
Growers and collectors dig the root in the fall and use the root and root
bark medicinally.3,5 Young shoots are available as a food source in the
spring though will cause diarrhea once they develop a green color.2,3
Dried wild indigo can produce a blue dye as well.3