Blue false indigo, Baptisia australis, is a perennial legume native to parts of the Midwest, East Coast, Ontario, and West Virginia, where it occurs in the eastern panhandle and southeastern counties. Usually about 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide, it grows in native hay meadows, open prairies, tree lines, and forested riparian areas with sandy, gravely, or well-drained soils. It does not grow well in shade, but it can survive prolonged droughts and brief temperature extremes as cold as negative 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Its flowering season varies by regional climate, from April in the south through August in the north, and wind helps disperse its seeds after flowering. Although often cultivated, in native habitats its seedpods can be infested by parasitic weevils. As a nitrogen fixer, it returns nitrogen to the soil, and grazing animals often avoid it because alkaloids give it a bitter taste. This native, non-invasive plant was used by the Cherokee to produce blue dye for clothing, a practice early settlers also adopted, while other Native tribes used it medicinally; the Osage made a cleansing eye wash from it, Cherokee tea served hot was used as a purgative and served cold helped prevent vomiting, pulverized roots were held over a sore tooth to relieve pain, and loose seeds from dried pods were used by Native American children to make rattles.