Baptisia perfoliata (Linnaeus) R. Brown ex W.T. Aiton. Common name: Catbells, Gopherweed. Phenology: Apr-May; May-Jul. Habitat: Longleaf pine sandhills. Distribution: S. SC to e. GA; disjunct in c. peninsular FL (Orange and Osceola counties); disjunct in wc. AL (Sumter County) (Keener 2007; Woods & Diamond 2014), where believed to be introduced.
Origin/Endemic status: Endemic
Synonymy ⓘ: = Fl3, FNA11.1, K1, K3, K4, RAB, S, S13, SE3, WH3, Isely (1981), Isely (1998), Larisey (1940a), Mendenhall (1994a), Mendenhall (1994b), Turner (2006a); = Crotalaria perfoliata L.
Links to other floras: = Baptisia perfoliata - FNA11.1
Heliophily ⓘ: 9
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Horticultural Information
Intro: Erect to spreading perennial found in sandhills, river dunes and longleaf pine woodlands.
Stems: Stems branching, yellowish-green, with a white-waxy coating, smooth.
Leaves: Leaves alternate, sessile and seemingly pierced by the stem (perfoliate), oval to nearly round, 2-4 in. long, smooth.
Inforescence:
Flowers: Flowers borne singly in leaf axils, yellow, 1/2 in. long, bilaterally symmetric and with typical pea-flower shape.
Fruits: Fruit a sturdy, round, inflated pod with short beak at the tip; green, drying to silvery-brown.
Comments:
Height: 1-3 ft.
plant sale text:
bloom table text:
description: Erect to spreading perennial found in sandhills, river dunes and longleaf pine woodlands.
stems: Stems branching, yellowish-green, with a white-waxy coating, smooth.
leaves: Leaves alternate, sessile and seemingly pierced by the stem (perfoliate), oval to nearly round, 2-4 in. long, smooth.
inflorescence:
flowers: Flowers borne singly in leaf axils, yellow, 1/2 in. long, bilaterally symmetric and with typical pea-flower shape.
fruits: Fruit a sturdy, round, inflated pod with short beak at the tip; green, drying to silvery-brown.
comments:
cultural notes:
germination code:
native range: SC, GA, FL & MS