wild indigo

American  

noun

1. any of several plants belonging to the genus Baptisia, of the legume family, especially B. tinctoria, having yellow flowers.

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wild indigo British  

noun

1. any of several North American leguminous plants of the genus Baptisia, esp B. tinctoria, which has yellow flowers and three-lobed leaves

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Etymology

Origin of wild indigo

An Americanism dating back to 1735–45

Example Sentences

As summer comes, white wild indigo, prairie dock and sky blue aster will hug the landscape.

From Washington Times • May 23, 2020

Range Management Expert Dick Whetsell can point out areas where cattle have wiped out prairie flowers, including wild indigo and blazing stars, leadplants and horsemint, prairie clover and many species of sunflowers.

From Time Magazine Archive

Portuguese, Dutch and British visitors have sailed away with ginger, wild indigo, seven kinds of cinnamon.

From Time Magazine Archive

Blue is obtained from the plentiful wild indigo; and for green, the cloth or yarn is first dyed blue with indigo, then boiled in a decoction of hickory bark and laurel leaves.

From Home Life in Colonial Days by Earle, Alice Morse

The spinning wheel came again into use, and homespun clothing, dyed with the extract of black-walnut bark, or with wild indigo, was generally worn.

From A Brief History of the United States by McMaster, John Bach