Cream Wild Indigo

Baptisia bracteata

Native to South Carolina (estimated)

Baptisia bracteata — flower photograph — (c) Brian Finzel, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original photograph · iNaturalist medium image; no additional crop, retouching, or re-encoding.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

23CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including SC

Genus host records with ranges including SC · Baptisia

Antheraea polyphemusPolyphemus Moth
Automeris ioIo Moth
Cabera quadrifasciariaFour-Lined Cabera
Callophrys irusThe Hoary Elfin, Bog Elfin?, Frosted Elfin
Catocala consorsThe Consort
Cecropterus lyciadesHoary Edge
Colias eurythemeOrange Sulphur, Alfalfa Butterfly
Colias philodiceClouded Sulphur, Clover Butterfly
Cupido comyntasEastern Tailed-Blue
Dasylophia anguinaBlack-Spotted Prominent

Show all 23

Gesta baptisiaeWild Indigo Duskywing, Baptisia Duskywing
Gesta zaruccoZarucco Duskywing
Grapholita tristriganaThree-Lined Grapholita
Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
Palthis asopialisFaint-Spotted Palthis
Papaipema baptisiaeWild Indigo Borer, Indigo Stem Borer
Papaipema cataphractaBurdock Border, Potato-Stalk Borer
Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
Schinia jaguarinaJaguar Flower Moth
Uresiphita reversalisGenista Caterpillar, Genista Cbroom Moth
Anacampsis lupinella
Pococera baptisiella
Sitochroa dasconalis

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

22BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Baptisia

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

1Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Baptisia

Megachile melanophaea

Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Baptisia

Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Fabaceae
Flower color: Cream

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “May to June” · Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide · Nursery cultural guide; height in flower; moisture categories retained as printed
Flower color · “Cream” · Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide · Nursery cultural guide; height in flower; moisture categories retained as printed
Height · “About 2 feet in flower” · Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide · Nursery cultural guide; height in flower; moisture categories retained as printed
Light · “Full sun (6+ hours); Part shade (3–6 hours)” · Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide · Nursery cultural guide; height in flower; moisture categories retained as printed
Soil · “Mesic; Dry-mesic; Dry” · Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide · Nursery cultural guide; height in flower; moisture categories retained as printed
Spread · “2–2.5 feet” · Missouri Botanical Garden: Baptisia bracteata

Conservation status

South Carolina rank	Not available
Global rank	G4G5T4? [G4?]
SC status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources