Meet the Imposter
![]() Photograph by theoccasionalgardener.com April 14, 2010 Meet the Imposter Blue falso indigo offers a colorful twist on old Charleston roots WRITTEN BY Evans Craddock
Charlestonians and true indigo, or Indigofera tinctoria, go back a long way. The two have been together since the mid-1700s, when business pioneer Eliza Lucas Pinckney first introduced the violet plant to the Lowcountry, successfully converting it into a cash crop. But the Perennial Plant Association recently named another indigo incarnate, Baptisia australis, the Perennial Plant of the Year. Commonly known as blue false indigo, this herbaceous plant makes an excellent substitute source for blue dyes, and its vivid blooms give sun-drenched gardens a color boost. Perhaps this imposter is worth getting to know and growing to love.
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