Bloomipedia
Cream wild-indigo (Baptisia leucophaea)
Photo: aarongunnar via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Cream wild-indigo

Baptisia leucophaea

Native in the lower 48

Cream wild-indigo is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 3 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in March–June.

19states
3of our state lists
5,809U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma

Quick look

Baptisia bracteata, otherwise known as longbract wild indigo, long-bract wild indigo, long-bracted wild indigo, plains wild indigo, cream false indigo, or cream wild indigo, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Fabaceae (bean) family that is native to the central and eastern United States. It is one of the earliest blooming species of Baptisia, beginning to bloom in March in certain areas of the United States.

  • It belongs to the Fabaceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 19 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as native to Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas. NatureServe
  • In Arkansas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–May. iNaturalist
  • In Oklahoma, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–May. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 685 research-grade sightings of it in Arkansas, ranking #68 among the 109 flowers on our Arkansas list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 500 research-grade sightings of it in Oklahoma, ranking #66 among the 110 flowers on our Oklahoma list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 359 research-grade sightings of it in Kansas, ranking #71 among the 109 flowers on our Kansas list. iNaturalist

Cream wild-indigo gift ideas

Handmade cream wild-indigo gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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    Cream wild-indigo art print

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    Cream wild-indigo greeting card

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    Cream wild-indigo mug

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    Cream wild-indigo earrings

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    Cream wild-indigo embroidery pattern

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    Cream wild-indigo sticker

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (338 records)
Bloom time in each of our 3 states
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
ArkansasNativeApril–May685
OklahomaNativeApril–May500
KansasNativefew records359

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)
Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
NatureServe global
T4 See NatureServe for what T4 means. NatureServe
Arkansas
No list Arkansas has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Arkansas ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arkansas.
Oklahoma
No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oklahoma.
Kansas
No list Kansas's endangered and threatened list (K.A.R. 115-15-1) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's Kansas ranks for plants. NatureServe: S5, secure in Kansas.
Rare elsewhere
Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: KY (S2), MI (S1), TN (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records cream wild-indigo in 19 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin.

Arkansas counties with USDA records: Arkansas, Ashley, Baxter, Benton, Boone, Bradley, Calhoun, Carroll, Clark, Cleburne, Cleveland, Columbia, Conway, Crawford, Dallas, Drew, Faulkner, Franklin, Fulton, Garland, Grant, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Howard, Izard, Jefferson, Johnson, Lawrence, Lincoln, Logan, Lonoke, Madison, Marion, Montgomery, Nevada, Newton, Perry, Pike, Polk, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, Scott, Sebastian, Sevier, Sharp, St. Francis, Stone, Union, Washington, Yell.

Oklahoma counties with USDA records: Adair, Atoka, Beckham, Blaine, Bryan, Caddo, Canadian, Carter, Cherokee, Cleveland, Coal, Comanche, Craig, Creek, Custer, Delaware, Garfield, Grady, Grant, Greer, Hughes, Johnston, Kingfisher, Latimer, Le Flore, Lincoln, Logan, Marshall, Mayes, McClain, McCurtain, Murray, Muskogee, Noble, Oklahoma, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Payne, Pittsburg, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, Pushmataha, Rogers, Seminole, Sequoyah, Stephens, Tulsa, Wagoner, Woodward.

Kansas counties with USDA records: Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Bourbon, Brown, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Clay, Cloud, Coffey, Cowley, Crawford, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Elk, Franklin, Geary, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Kingman, Labette, Leavenworth, Linn, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, McPherson, Miami, Montgomery, Morris, Nemaha, Neosho, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Pottawatomie, Reno, Riley, Saline, Sedgwick, Shawnee, Stafford, Sumner, Wabaunsee, Washington, Wilson, Woodson, Wyandotte.

More Arkansas flowers

White clover (Trifolium repens)

White clover

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Introduced

🌼 Blooms in AR: March–July
Red clover (Trifolium pratense)

Red clover

Trifolium pratense

★ VT state flowerIntroduced

🌼 Blooms in AR: April–September
Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis)

Eastern redbud

Cercis canadensis

Native

🌼 Blooms in AR: March–April

Sources