Cream Wild Indigo, Plains Wild Indigo

Baptisia leucophaea

bap-TIS-ee-uh  loo-koh-FAY-uh

Synonyms of Baptisia leucophaea (10) (Updated on 5-10-25 from Plants of the World Online: Baptisia alba var. macrophylla (Larisey) Isely (1986), Baptisia bracteata var. glabrescens (Larisey) Isely (1978), Baptisia bracteata var. laevicaulis (A.Gray ex Canby) Isely (1978), Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea (Nutt.) Kartesz & Gandhi (1991), Baptisia cuneata Small (1898), Baptisia laevicaulis (A.Gray ex Canby) Small (1898), Baptisia leucophaea var. glabrescens Larisey (1940), Baptisia leucophaea var. laevicaulis A.Gray ex Canby (1879), Baptisia oxyphylla Greene (1910), Baptisia pendula var. macrophylla Larisey (1940)

Baptisia leucophaea Nutt. Is the accepted scientific name for this species. It was named ad described as such by Thomas Nuttall in The genera of North American Plants in 1818.

The genus, Baptisia Vent., was named and described as such by Étienne Pierre Ventenat in Decas Generum Novorum in 1808.

As of 5-10-25 when this page was first published, Plants of the World Online lists 18 species in the Baptisia genus. It is a member of the plant family Fabaceae with 807 genera. Those numbers could change as updates are made on POWO.

The above distribution map for Baptisia leucophaea is from Plants of the World Online. The map on the USDA Plants Database is similar and is for Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea, listed as a syn. on POWO.

The above distribution map for Baptisia bracteata is from Plants of the World Online. This map is current and the data for the map was provided by Flora of North America. It takes in consideration that Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea is a synonym of Baptisia leucophaea. 

The map on iNaturalist of Baptisia leucophaea shows where members have made observations. Anyone can join and it is a great website to confirm and share your observations. The maps on iNaturalist are continually updated as members post new observations. I post all my observations on iNaturalist.

THERE ARE SEVERAL LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING AND TO HELP WITH A POSITIVE ID.

I was invited to visit a private native prairie on 5-5-25 where I found quite a few Baptisia leucophaea as well as several other “new-to-me” species. I have seen a few of these along the highway west of town but never stopped to take any photos, so finding many on the prairie was AWESOME!

Although Baptisia leucophaea was given that name in 1818, several attempts were made to make it a variety of other species. You can see this by looking at the list of synonyms at the top of the page.

I wrote a post about a taxon split that you can read HERE.

To view the Flora of North America Species Comparison chart between Baptisia bracteata and Baptisia leucophaea, click HERE.

Since I live in Missouri, the Baptisia with cream-colored flowers and a horizontal branching habit is indeed Baptisia leucophaea.

I have several pages to publish, but I will come back to this one and write descriptions later. I hope to take more photos by then which I will promptly add.

I live on the family farm in Windsor, Missouri in Pettis County (Henry County is across the street, and Benton and Johnson aren’t far away). I have grown over 500 different plants and identified over 250 species of wildflowers (most have pages listed on the right side of the page). I am not an expert, botanist, or horticulturalist. I just like growing, photographing, and writing about my experience. I rely on several websites for ID and a few horticulturalists I contact if I cannot figure them out. Wildflowers can be variable from location to location, so that can be a bit confusing. If you see I have made an error, please let me know so I can correct what I have written.

I hope you found this page useful and be sure to check the links below for more information. They were written by experts and they have provided much more information. Some sites may not be up-to-date but they are always a work in progress. If you can, I would appreciate it if you would click on the “Like” below and leave a comment. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. You can also send an email to me at thebelmontrooster@yahoo.com. I would enjoy hearing from you especially if you notice something is a bit whacky.

NOTE! The links below are for *Baptisia leucophaea, **Baptisia bracteata, ***Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea, and ****Baptisia bracteata var. glabrescens. Depending on their location, when their pages were published, and if they updated since the name changed or not… Sometimes website pages are published before names change and pretty much forgotten about. Then you wind up with information online for the same species with different names…

FOR FURTHER READING:
*PLANTS OF THE WORLD ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
INTERNATIONAL PLANT NAMES INDEX (GENUS/SPECIES)
*TROPICOS (GENUS/SPECIES)
FLORA OF NORTH AMERICA (GENUS/SPECIES)
*WORLD FLORA ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
**WIKIPEDIA (GENUS/SPECIES)
***USDA PLANTS DATABASE
*U.S. FOREST SERVICE
*iNATURALIST
**MISSOURI PLANTS
***MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN
**MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION
**WILDFLOWER SEARCH
**ARKANSAS NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY
****DAVE’S GARDEN
***FLORA FINDER
**GO BOTANY
**ILLINOIS WILDFLOWERS
***KANSAS WILDFLOWERS AND GRASSES
***LADY BIRD JOHNSON WILDFLOWER CENTER
*MINNESOTA WILDFLOWERS

NOTE: The data (figures, maps, accepted names, etc.) may not match on these websites. It depends on when and how they make updates and when their sources make updates. Some websites have hundreds and even many thousands of species to keep up with. Accepted scientific names change periodically and it can be hard to keep with as well. Some of the links may use a name that is a synonym on other sites. In my opinion, Plants of the World Online by Kew is one of the most reliable and up-to-date plant databases and they make updates regularly. I make updates “at least” once a year and when I write new pages or add new photos but I do get behind. We are all a work in progress. 🙂