- Botanical name: Isatis tinctoria
- Common name: Woad
- Family: Brassicaceae
- Plant Type: Biennial, Herb
Yellow
Green
- Key features:
- Aromatic foliage
- Attractive to wildlife
- Flowers
Woad is a European native wildflower, traditionally used as a clothing dye and body paint. The dye is made from the leaves, which are collected from flowering stems and dried in the sun. Once dry, the leaves are ground into paste and left to ferment. The fermented leaves are then moulded into cakes, mixed with water and fermented again. The final step is to infuse the twice-fermented leaves with lime water. The dye is blue and used in place of indigo.
Biennial, woad develops leaf rosettes and deep roots in its first year, and flowers in its second year, before setting seed and dying. Flowers appear in loose racemes, are yellow and develop into large, flat, blue-black seedheads.
Woad is a member of the cabbage family and therefore should be rotated to prevent the build up of diseases, including club root.
How to grow Isatis tinctoria
-
Plant size
2m height
50cm spread
-
Aspect
South facing, west facing
- Sun exposure: Dappled shade, full sun
Plant calendar
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow | ||||||||||||
| Sow |
J
Do not Sow in January |
F
Do not Sow in February |
M
Do not Sow in March |
A
Do Sow in April |
M
Do Sow in May |
J
Do not Sow in June |
J
Do not Sow in July |
A
Do not Sow in August |
S
Do not Sow in September |
O
Do not Sow in October |
N
Do not Sow in November |
D
Do not Sow in December |
| Plant | ||||||||||||
| Plant |
J
Do not Plant in January |
F
Do not Plant in February |
M
Do not Plant in March |
A
Do not Plant in April |
M
Do Plant in May |
J
Do Plant in June |
J
Do not Plant in July |
A
Do not Plant in August |
S
Do not Plant in September |
O
Do not Plant in October |
N
Do not Plant in November |
D
Do not Plant in December |
| Flowers | ||||||||||||
| Flowers |
J
Plant does not flower in January |
F
Plant does not flower in February |
M
Plant does not flower in March |
A
Plant does not flower in April |
M
Plant does flower in May |
J
Plant does flower in June |
J
Plant does not flower in July |
A
Plant does not flower in August |
S
Plant does not flower in September |
O
Plant does not flower in October |
N
Plant does not flower in November |
D
Plant does not flower in December |
| Harvest | ||||||||||||
| Harvest |
J
Do not Harvest in January |
F
Do not Harvest in February |
M
Do not Harvest in March |
A
Do not Harvest in April |
M
Do not Harvest in May |
J
Do Harvest in June |
J
Do Harvest in July |
A
Do Harvest in August |
S
Do Harvest in September |
O
Do not Harvest in October |
N
Do not Harvest in November |
D
Do not Harvest in December |
Isatis tinctoria and wildlife
Isatis tinctoria is known for attracting bees, beneficial insects and other pollinators. It has nectar/pollen rich flowers.
Attractive to Bees
Attractive to Beneficial insects
Does not attract Birds
Does not attract Butterflies/Moths
Attractive to Other pollinators
Is Isatis tinctoria poisonous?
Isatis tinctoria has no toxic effects reported.
No reported toxicity to Birds
No reported toxicity to Cats
No reported toxicity to Dogs
No reported toxicity to Horses
No reported toxicity to Livestock
No reported toxicity to People
Plants that go well with Isatis tinctoria
