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Baptisia sphaerocarpa |
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| Synonym(s) |
Baptisia viridis |
| Common name |
yellow baptisia |
| Family |
fabaceae |
| Life cycle |
perennial (Z5-9) |
| Flowers |
yellow pea flowers in summer |
| Size |
3' tall by 2' wide |
| Light |
full sun |
| Cultural notes |
easy once established, drought-tolerant |
From seed  |
Germinate with bottom heat, several weeks
detailed seed-starting info below
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This one took several years to flower from seed, but it was worth it. Even without flowers, the blue-green foliage is worthwhile. Last year, the abundant yellow flowers could be seen from quite a distance! This year, for some reason, it hardly flowered at all – could be the wet and dreary summer we had last year. The close-up photos explain the sphaerocarpa botanical name - the seed capsules are not pod-shaped, like most legumes including other baptisias, but spherical.
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| | Young plant with single bloom spike |
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In our garden, this plant grows in the following area: back fence border About my plant portraits
PlantLinks to other web pages about Baptisia sphaerocarpa
Visitors to this page have left the following comments| Susan Trumblay | Jun 26, 2005 | I have a LOT of this plant (Baptisia) or Bush Pea, on the 2.5 acres I bought on the lake 2 years ago. They are beautiful, and I have moved a lot that were where I am building my new house, to along the edges of the water. Where they are naturally growing and where I moved some of them TO, is mostly shade or patchy shade, as the land is heavily wooded, (except where I have cleared trees to build the house).
There are a LOT of seed pods, I am getting ready to harvest - if anyone is interested in them, I will send them (for free of course), just e-mail me at tiger-tail AT pghmail.com
I want to know more about these plants - like are they poisonous if eaten - I have a 3 yr. old; how can I propagate them - can I plant the seeds or just plant a piece in the ground? I have a VERY sandy soil with a shallow water table - most of these plants are within 25 to 40 feet from the waterline.
When are the seeds ready to plant? When is the best time to harvest the seed pods? Do I plant the whole seed pod or do I need to open it up and let the seeds dry, do I wait until the pods are nearly a black color to harvest or do it when they are still green, etc.
How long do they take before the plants come up? Best time to plant them?Are there any benefits of this plant - herbal; medicinal; soil benefits; bird, insect, butterfly attractant; etc.?
ANY info will be appreciated! Thanks - Susan
I'd harvest the seeds when they're brown. My seed-starting experience is noted on this page, and suggests warm temperatures are required for germination. They certainly like full sun to bloom best, but your experience suggests that part shade is OK too (are you sure yours are the same species? there are other yellowish baptisias, such as B. tinctoria). |
| jacque | Jul 13, 2006 | what zone is this plant? I think I need one,though I feel like that about almost ever plant.jacque
Online sources suggest it's hardy in zones 5-9. |
| danna | May 10, 2009 | I read in Plant delights catalog to cover the seeds with boiling water and plant after they cool. I have a whole pasture full of yellow ones! |
| Carrol Krause | May 12, 2010 | I grew this beautiful plant for a couple of years....saved the seed, which was good because the parent plant died. It took about four years to reach bloom size but when it finally flowered last week, boy was I surprised! The parent plant had apparently hybridized with the nearby blue-flowered Baptisia australis before setting seed. The blooms of the young plant are an eerie lavender-gray. Is this common?
It sounds like your plant is similar to 'Purple Smoke', a commercially available hybrid of B. alba and B. australis. Another hybrid, 'Twilight Prairieblues', is a hybrid of the parentage you describe, but it has purple flowers. |
- Seed from Park '00 order. 6pak 75F (25%G, 17-60d)
- Single seed from garden '03. Baggy, 65F (G 14d)
- Seed from garden '04. Baggy 65F (30d) - 75F (100%G, 7-13d)
- Seed from '05 garden. Sandpapered, then baggy 70F (60%G, 4-26d) - 75F (40%G, 8d)
- Same seed as above. Sandpapered, then baggy 75F (85%G, 9-31d)
- Seed from '07 gift. Sandpapered, then baggy 75F (100%G, 4-8d)
- Seed for 'Screaming Yellow' from HPS/MAG '11/'12 exchange. Sandpapered, then baggy 75F (100%G, 3-7d)
Bottom heat definitely helps.
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