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Baptisia megacarpa Chapman ex Torr. & Gray
Bigpod Wild Indigo
Federal Protection: No US federal protection
State Protection: No Georgia state protection
Global Rank: G1G2
State Rank: S1
Element Locations Tracked in Biotics: Yes
SWAP 2015 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): Yes
SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): Yes
2025 SGCN Priority Tier: Highest Conservation Concern
Element Occurrences (EOs) in Georgia: 18
Habitat Summary for element in Georgia: Floodplain forests
Perennial herb with smooth, stout, erect stems, 2 - 3 feet (60 - 100 cm) tall, with many zigzag branches forming a bushy crown. The leaves have 3 oval, blunt-tipped leaflets, each 1.5 - 3.5 inches (4 - 9 cm) long. Flower clusters are 2 - 6 inches (5 - 15 cm) long, drooping, with 2 - 15 flowers. Flowers are up to 0.8 inch (2.2 cm) long, cream to pale yellow, typical of pea flowers with an upper banner petal and 2 wing petals partly enclosing a keel petal. Fruit is a pale green, drooping, oval, inflated pod, up to 1.6 inches (3 - 4 cm) long and 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide, thin-walled, papery, covered with a network of raised veins, becoming brittle and light brown as it dries.
White Wild Indigo (Baptisia albescens) has similar white or cream flowers, but it has widely spreading branches and its pods are leathery, yellowish, and held erect. It occurs infrequently throughout Georgia in dry woodlands and on roadsides.
Prairie Wild Indigo (Baptisia alba) has white flowers, waxy, blue-green stems, and inflated pods that turn black with age. It occurs throughout Georgia in dry woodlands and on roadsides.
There are five rare Baptisia in Georgia:
Hairy Rattleweed (Baptisia arachnifera) occurs in pine flatwoods in southeast Georgia. For more information, see: https://www.georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=20990
Glade Blue Wild Indigo (Baptisia australis var. aberrans) occurs in limestone glades and barrens in northwest Georgia. For more information, see: https://www.georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=17790
Streamside Blue Indigo (Baptisia australis var. australis) occurs on gravel bars and rocky creek banks in northwest Georgia. It has smooth, waxy stems, and blue flowers. For more information, see: https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.160900/Baptisia_australis_var_australis
Leconte’s Wild Indigo (Baptisia lecontei) occurs in sandhills in south-central Georgia; it has yellow flowers, a round pod with a short, pointed tip, and leaves with 3 oval, grayish-green leaflets. https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.146356/Baptisia_lecontei
Apalachicola Wild Indigo (Baptisia megacarpa) occurs on well drained, sandy ridges in floodplains, stream terraces, and low, hardwood-dominated slopes in the Chattahoochee River drainage. For more information, see: https://georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=20305
Well drained, sandy ridges in floodplains, stream terraces, and lower hardwood-dominated slopes in the Chattahoochee River drainage.
Baptisia megacarpa is a perennial herb with perfect flowers that reproduces sexually be seed; it does not spread clonally. There is little published information about its life history. As with other Baptisia species, it is probably pollinated by bees, which are attracted by the showy banner petal and the presence of nectar at the base of the pistil. Bees are strong and agile enough to force apart the wing and keel petals to reach the nectar and, in doing so, collect pollen on their bodies which is transferred to the next flowers they visit. Legume seeds are rich in nutrients and are often eaten by insects while still in the pod; weevils are known to feed on the seeds of other Wild Indigo species and may play a role in limiting reproduction in Apalachicola Wild Indigo. Leaves and stems of all Baptisia species contain compounds (quinolizidines) that are poisonous to insects and grazing animals.
Surveys are best conducted during flowering (late April–early June).
Southwest Georgia, southeast Alabama, and adjacent Florida Panhandle.
Logging on slopes and in bottomlands and floodplains. Stream impoundment. Invasion by exotic pest plants.
| Threat 1 | Threat 2 | Threat 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Threat | Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Agriculture & aquaculture | Biological resource use |
| Specific Threat | None | None | None |
Baptisia megacarpa is ranked S1 by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, indicating that it is critically imperiled in the state. Sixteen populations have been documented in Georgia, but only 7 have been confirmed since 2000. Only two occur on conservation lands.
Avoid clearcutting floodplains and forested slopes. Avoid damming rivers and altering floodplain hydrology. Eradicate exotic pest plants such as Japanese Honeysuckle and Chinese Privet.
Chafin, L.G. 2007. Field guide to the rare plants of Georgia. State Botanical Garden of Georgia and University of Georgia Press, Athens.
GADNR. 2019. Element occurrence records for Baptisia megacarpa. Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division, Social Circle, Georgia.
Gibbons W., R. R. Haynes, and J. L. Thomas. 1990. Poisonous plants and venomous animals of Alabama and adjoining states. University of Alabama Press.
Horn, S. and J.L. Hanula. 2004. Impact of seed predators on the herb Baptisia lanceolata (Fabales: Fabaceae). Florida Entomologist 87: 398-400. https://doi.org/10.1653/0015-4040(2004)087[0398:IOSPOT]2.0.CO;2
Isely, D. 1990. Vascular flora of the southeastern United States, Vol. 3, Part 2, Leguminosae (Fabaceae). University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill.
Kral, R. 1983. A report on some rare, threatened, or endangered forest-related vascular plants of the South. Technical Publication R8-TP2. United States Forest Service, Atlanta.
NatureServe. 2019. Baptisia megacarpa comprehensive report. NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Baptisia%20megacarpa
Weakley, A.S. 2015. Flora of the southern and mid-Atlantic States. University of North Carolina Herbarium, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. http://www.herbarium.unc.edu/flora.htm
Woods, M. and A.R. Diamond, Jr. 2014. The genus Baptisia in Alabama. Phytoneuron 2014-83: 1–11. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alvin_Diamond/publication/280622971_The_genus_Baptisia_in_Alabama/links/55ca5c2408aeb975674a4b5a.pdf
Linda G. Chafin
L. Chafin, Feb. 2008: original account.
K. Owers, Jan. 2010: updated status and ranks, added pictures.
L. Chafin, Jan 2020: updated original account.
