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Brassicaceae
Dyer's Woad Flower
Isatis tinctoria
Ancient tradition and identity.
- Family
- Brassicaceae
- Genus
- Isatis
- Native to
- Central Asia, Southeastern Europe
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer
- Type
- Biennial
- Height
- 30-120 cm
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil
- Well-drained, alkaline
- Water
- Low to moderate
- Hardiness
- 3-8
- Lifespan
- Biennial
Did you know
- Ancient Britons used woad to paint their skin blue before battle, famously described by Julius Caesar.
- The blue dye from woad leaves was Europe's primary source of indigo until Asian indigo imports arrived.
- It takes over 100 kilograms of woad leaves to produce just 500 grams of blue pigment.
- The fermentation process to extract the dye produces such a foul smell that Queen Elizabeth I banned woad processing near her palaces.
- Despite being a crucial dye plant for millennia, it is now considered invasive in parts of North America.
Color meanings
0
Heritage
1
Strength
2
Transformation