![]() ![]() There are three recognised varieties of B. The seeds may be toxic, especially for children. ![]() Young shoots of the plant have been mistaken for asparagus, which resulted in poisoning. The pods stay attached and are blown with the stems to another location. Once the seeds are fully mature, the stems turn a silverish grey and break off from the roots. The leaves emerge about one month before flowering and are shed approximately one month after the pods form. The seeds are yellowish brown, kidney shaped and about 2 mm (0.079 in) in size. At maturity they will contain many loose seeds within. They are oblong in shape and are sharply tipped at the apex. The fruit is a bluish black inflated and hardened pod that ranges from 2.5 to 7.5 cm (0.98 to 2.95 in) in length by 1.25 to 2.5 cm (0.49 to 0.98 in). The flowers, which bloom from spring to summer depending on the region, are bisexual and are roughly 2.5 cm (0.98 in) long. Emerging at the pinnacle are short, upright terminal racemes with pea-like flowers that vary in colour from light blue to deep violet. ![]() The grey-green trifoliate leaves are arranged alternately, and are further divided into clover-like leaflets that are obovate in shape, or wider towards the apex. The plant may attain a height of 1 to 1.5 metres, and a width of 0.6 to 1 metre. Broken stems secrete a sap that turns dark blue on contact with the air. The stems are stour and glabrous, or hairless. The plant branches extensively about halfway up. When dug up they are woody and black in colour and show tubercles, wart-like projections found on the roots. The roots themselves are branched and deep, which helps the plant withstand periods of drought. The plant is erect and emerges from the rhizomatic network. The common name "blue false indigo" is derived from it being used as a substitute for the superior dye-producing plant Indigofera tinctoria.īaptisia australis is an herbaceous perennial that reproduces both sexually and asexually by means of its spreading rhizomes. Additional common names of this plant exist, such as indigo weed, rattleweed, rattlebush and horsefly weed. The name of the genus is derived from the Ancient Greek word bapto, meaning "to dip" or "immerse", while the specific name australis is Latin for "southern". ![]()
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