• Image of Baptisia 'Purple Smoke'|NC Botanical Gdn, NC|R. Gardner

    Photo by R. Gardner taken at NC Botanical Gdn, NC

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Baptisia 'Purple Smoke'

Purple Smoke False Indigo

This plant is not currently for sale. This is an archive page preserved for informational use.

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Item #: 2190

Zones: 4a to 9b

Dormancy: Winter

Height: 50" tall

Culture: Sun

Origin: United States Hybrid

Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)


Baptisia 'Purple Smoke' is a 1996 introduction, selected by the late NC Botanical Garden curator Rob Gardner from seedlings at the garden. Baptisia 'Purple Smoke' is a cross of the North American native Baptisia minor var. aberrans (not Baptisia australis as is often printed) and a wandering Baptisia alba...obviously, some unsafe plant sex had taken place. The result is an extremely vigorous, deer-resistant baptisia with charcoal-green stems (when mature) and dozens of giant lupine-like flower heads of dusty purple. You will grow to love the outstanding Baptisia 'Purple Smoke' more each year as the clump matures. Baptisia 'Purple Smoke' deserves a salute for pioneering the advances in the genus, but unless you want this for historical sake, the newer hybrids we offer are dramatic improvements.