False indigo, white false indigo

“Wild white indigo is a herbaceous perennial plant in the pea family (Fabaceae) native to eastern and central United States. The species epithet is Latin and means “white,” referring to the white flowers.

This large clump-forming long-lived plant will grow 2-6 feet and up to 4 feet wide. It does not transplant well due to deep roots so choose your sites well. It prefers full sun to light shade in acidic sandy or rocky soil but will tolerate clay soil. It may take young plants up to 3 years to produce flowers. They can be propagated by seed, stem or root cuttings. As with all plants in the pea family, this plant will fix nitrogen in the soil.

In spring purple stems appear above the blue-gray foliage with up to 18 inches long spikes of white to cream-colored pea-shaped flowers. They are followed by 1-2 inch seed puffy seed pods that ripen from green to black. The trifoliate foliage stays attractive all season long and turns nearly black in fall. In winter the stems will break off and be blown like tumbleweed if not pruned.

Use this plant in the back of the border, as a specimen, in a rain garden, a pollinator/native garden or in naturalized areas.”

Description per NCSU extension.