Baptisia cinerea (Rafinesque) Fernald & Schubert. Carolina Wild Indigo. Phen: Late Apr-Jun; Jun-Jul. Hab: Longleaf pine sandhills, other dry sandy woods. Dist: Though common in the Coastal Plain of the Carolinas, B. cinerea is a narrow endemic, ranging only from s. VA south to s. SC. The report in Jones & Coile (1988) of B. cinerea in GA is in error; the specimen is of B. lanceolata.
ID notes: The large, yellow flowers are very showy. In fall, the leaves do not drop, but stay attached to the stems, the whole plant turning an ashy gray; these dried plants are conspicuous through the following winter.
Origin/Endemic status: Endemic
Synonymy: = C, F, G, K1, K3, K4, RAB, SE3, Va, Isely (1981), Isely (1998), Mendenhall (1994a), Mendenhall (1994b), Turner (2006a); = Baptisia villosa (Walter) Nutt. – S, Larisey (1940a), misapplied
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