Care
- Choose a lasting spot; established plants are difficult to move.
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
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
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Baptisia
- Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 3a–9b
- Soil pH
- Acidic
- Flower color
- Cream or yellow
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Growth habit
- Single crown
- Foliage color
- Gray-green
- Fruit begins
- Summer
- Fruit ends
- Fall
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “Spring and summer” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Flower color · “Cream or yellow” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Foliage color · “Gray-green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Fruit begins · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Fruit ends · “Fall” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Growth habit · “Single crown” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Growth rate · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Hardiness · “Zones 3a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “2–3.75 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- primary_flower_color · “yellow” · USDA PLANTS
- Soil · “Good drainage; Moist; Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil pH · “Acidic” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Spread · “2–3 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
Honesty Weed; Horsefly Weed; Rattleweed
Conservation status
| South Carolina rank | Not available |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| SC status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
In your garden
Will it fit your spot?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Choose a county to begin.
Sources
- tnky_atlas
- usda
- nc_flora
- South Carolina occurrence source
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- 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
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications