Hi Lisa -

Doesn't seem like this board is very active right now, huh? I gathered some Baptisia seeds, too - most of mine were tan colored. There were some that were black, but I don't remember any cream colored ones. I think I threw the black ones out because they came from pods that had become moldy or eaten up by bugs. It was actually hard to harvest any - most had been eaten by a bug of some kind! I'm not sure if this info helps you or not, but the pods I collected were black. You probably already know that. I have the seeds drying right now. I'm pretty new to this - just wanted to give you some info!

Good luck!

Jill

I've gathered a lot in past years and they seem to have a range of colors. I've had good germination with all so I can't say that one shade is "better" than another. I think they are one of those plants (like Morning Glories) that their seeds come in a variety of shades.

Hi,

I was just out looking at the pods on the Baptisia. I have had the pods on the plants since they stopped blooming in June. That is a long time for seeds to have to develp..here it is September. My pods are still attached and not popping open but the pods are black. I would love to know if they are ripe or if they are NOT ripe until the pods pop open?

Adam

The seeds I've collected for drying and storage were un-cracked and they sprouted fine. The trick of course is to collect right before they crack. I waited until some pods were cracked, then collected all the pods.

What I found with the cracked pods was that some of the seeds sprouted in the pods because rain had gotten in. That may be Mother Natures' way of pre-sprouting seeds before dropping them on the ground. Pre-sprouted seeds are fine if you are going to put them in soil immediately and grow them inside but pre-sprouted seed doesn't work so well for dry storage. lol