Flower profile

Prairie false indigo

Baptisia lactea

Prairie false indigo (Baptisia lactea) is a flowering plant in the Fabaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly June–July across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Prairie false indigo is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in June–July.

6states where USDA records it

2Bloomipedia state lists include it

7,832U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Illinois, Iowa

Quick look

Baptisia alba, commonly called white wild indigo or white false indigo, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the bean family Fabaceae. It is native in central and eastern North America, and is typically found in open woodland areas and prairies with tall grasslands.
From Wikipedia's article Baptisia alba, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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 6 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Illinois and Iowa. ^NatureServe
In Illinois, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–July. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,588 research-grade sightings of it in Illinois, ranking #72 among the 180 flowers on our Illinois list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 394 research-grade sightings of it in Iowa, ranking #68 among the 147 flowers on our Iowa list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (564 records)

Bloom time in the 2 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Illinois	Native	June–July	2,588
Iowa	Native	few records (36)	394

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
Illinois: Not listed Not on Illinois List of Endangered and Threatened Flora (17 Ill. Adm. Code 1050), per the Endangered Species Protection Board's 2025 checklist. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Illinois. ^{IL E&T checklist 2025}
Iowa: Not listed Not on Iowa endangered, threatened and special concern plants (Iowa Admin. Code r. 571-77.3). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Iowa. ^{IAC 571-77.3}
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

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 prairie false indigo in 6 states.

AKMEVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILWIMINYRIMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTCAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia.

Names, range and relatives

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Baptisia pendula, Baptisia psammophila, Crotalaria alba.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 126 counties across 6 states; the most are in Georgia (52), South Carolina (28), Florida (24).

Other Baptisia on Bloomipedia (3): Cream wild-indigo, Tall blue wild indigo, Eastern wild indigo.

More from the Fabaceae family (114 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Lupines, White clover, Red clover, Eastern redbud, Purple crownvetch, Bird's-foot trefoil, Partridge pea, White sweetclover.

More Illinois flowers

Red clover

Trifolium pratense

★ VT state flowerIntroduced

🌼 Blooms in IL: May–August

White clover

Trifolium repens

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in IL: May–July

Purple crownvetch

Securigera varia

★ PA state beautification and conservation plantIntroduced

🌼 Blooms in IL: June–July

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile BAALA.
iNaturalist, Baptisia lactea: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Baptisia alba (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Illinois: Illinois List of Endangered and Threatened Flora (17 Ill. Adm. Code 1050), per the Endangered Species Protection Board's 2025 checklist.
Illinois: Illinois Official List of Exotic Weeds (17 Ill. Adm. Code 1100.30, Illinois Exotic Weed Act).
Iowa: Iowa endangered, threatened and special concern plants (Iowa Admin. Code r. 571-77.3).
Iowa: Iowa noxious weeds (Iowa Code § 317.1A).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Baptisia lactea (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Peter Chen 2.0 via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.