Though slow to establish these brilliant blue and purple blossoms are worth the wait. The bushy perennial can persist for decades and is a source for indigo dye. Blue Wild Indigo grows in sandy dry areas or open woods; its deep tap root gives it protection from the drought and prairie fires of its native ground. Native Americans and early settlers once used various species of this plant family to make a blue dye since the superior true indigo dye was expensive and not easily obtained. As a member of the nitrogen-fixing legume family indigo makes an excellent choice for soil that needs replenishment of its nutrients. The genus name baptisia comes from a Greek word meaning to dye.