Baptisia tinctoria (L.) R. Br.
Other common names: Baptisia, indigo weed, yellow indigo, American indigo, yellow broom, indigo broom, clover broom, horsefly weed, shoofly, rattlebush.
Habitat and range: This native herb grows on dry, poor land and is found from Maine to Minnesota and south to Florida and Louisiana.
Description: Yellow wild-indigo is an erect, much-branched, very leafy plant about 2 to 3 feet in height with cloverlike leaves. The flowers are bright yellow, one-half inch in length, and are produced in numerous clusters from June to September. The root, which is round and fleshy, sending out branches and rootless almost 2 feet in length, has a white interior and a thick, dark-brown bark. The bark root has a bitter, nauseous taste.
Other species: A related species, said to possess similar properties, is Baptisia alba R. Br., called the white wild-indigo. This plant has white flowers and is found in the Southern States and on the western Plains.
Part used: The herb and the root, the latter collected in autumn.
