Just wrapping up it’s flowering season is the little-known, Baptisia megacarpa. The specific epithet “megacarpa” refers to the large fruit. This very rare (G1/G2) species is known from only a small region of Alabama, Southern Georgia, and North Florida. In the garden, Baptisia megacarpa is one of the larger species, forming a 4′ tall x 6′ wide clump, adorned, starting for us in mid-April with weeping panicles of creamy flowers. While this is naturally a floodplain species, it thrives in almost all sunny garden conditions. It was very disappointing to offer this for three years, and sell less than 50 plants total. This will not come true from seed if there are any other baptisias nearby, which is why most everything we’ve seen sold in the trade are garden hybrids, which have upright flower stalks.
Is this the same thing that was once called Carolina thermopsis?? whatever it is lovely! Thank you!!
First cousin, once removed. Thermopsis is typically a taller, more lanky cousin.