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Incredibly saturated, dark flowers.

Baptisia Royal Purple

Deep maroon colored flowers on grassy green stems make for the most beautiful combination for any garden.

This hybrid false indigo with its strong Baptisia australis influence was selected for its incredibly saturated, dark violet-purple flowers on a plant that otherwise resembles B. australis in vigor, size, and habit. Plants bloom for three weeks commencing in mid- May (USDA Zone 5). The inch-wide flowers are produced on 18’’-long inflorescences, which may be partially hidden in the foliage in warmer zones. Plants are cloaked with attractive blue-green foliage all summer. ‘Royal Purple’ may lodge in shade or on overly fertile soils, and is for full sun only. This complex hybrid was developed mainly from B. australis, and secondarily from B. bracteata and B. sphaerocarpa.

Please note: We don't sell plants. Asking your local retailer or googling the plant name is the easiest way to find someone selling our plants.

Please note: Download hi-res photos from the photo gallery at the bottom of the page.


Who Am I?

  • Common Name

    Royal Purple false indigo
  • Botanical Name

    Baptisia 'Royal Purple' PP25508
  • Type

    Perennial
  • US Native?

    YES
  • Origin

    The Prairieblues™ false indigos were developed by Jim Ault, Ph.D., at the Chicago Botanic Garden from crosses made between 1999 and 2004. The selections were developed from crossing Baptisia albescens (formerly B. alba), B. australis var. australis, B. australis var. minor, B. bracteata (formerly B. leucophaea), B. sphaerocarpa, and B. tinctoria in various c ombinations. All parent plants and selections were grown in-ground at the Chicago Botanic Garden (USDA Zone 5b) during the breeding and selection process.

  • Bloom Time

    Summer
  • Bloom Color

    Eggplant purple
  • Fruit Time

    Fall
  • Fruit Color

    Gray

Cultural Details

  • Bloom Time

    Summer
  • Size

    4'tall by 5.5' wide
  • Hardiness Zone

    4-9
  • Light

    Full sun
  • Soil

    Moist, but well-drained, fairly adaptable to many soils
  • Moisture

    Drought tolerant once established
  • Disease & Pests

    False indigos exhibit good to excellent disease resistance. A seed weevil will predate the seed, but this does not detract from either plant health or display value. The genista broom moth caterpillar (Uresiphita reversalis) can seriously defoliate plants of Baptisia, but this tends to be more of a problem in warmer climes.
  • Landscape Use

    Borders, foundations, mass plantings, matrix plantings, naturalized gardens, commercial plantings
  • Propagation

    Softwood Cuttings, Tissue Culture

Available Photos

Hover over images to download hi-res files.