Isatis indigotica seed

LATIN NAME: Isatis indigotica

COMMON NAME: Woad

The woad dips the sprays of the small, yellow flowers above the blue-green leaves, the whole plant carrying the fine, tidy look of the old dye garden, the long taproot going deep into the soil. The upright, biennial herb carries the broad, oblong, wavy-edged, blue-green leaves in the basal rosettes, and the many small, bright yellow, four-petalled flowers in the large, flat-topped, branched sprays through the late spring, one of the quiet, steady sights of the old dye garden, drawing the bees, to be followed by the small, pendulous, brownish pods with the single seeds. The blue-green leaves have a very long record as the old source of the fine, blue dye, and the plant is a historic presence of the old dye garden. It is a plant of the open, sunny, deep, rich, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The woad is a historic subject of the plant science, and the blue dye keep showing up in the work on the dye plants. The way the blue pigment forms in the broad, oblong, wavy-edged leaves has been studied steadily, and it keeps appearing in the studies of the dye plants, the blue-green leaves and the members of the mustard family. The blue dye and the tidy habit have also made it a fine study plant, and the woad is a regular subject of the work on the blue dye of the cool world.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

The woad is a quiet, useful plant of the old dye garden and the study collection. The broad, oblong, wavy-edged, blue-green leaves in the basal rosettes carry the tidy look of the old dye garden, one of the quiet, steady sights of the old dye garden, drawing the bees, and the blue-green leaves have a very long record as the old source of the fine, blue dye, the pressed leaves coming to the fine, blue dye and the steady dyeing of the old workshops, while the many small, bright yellow, four-petalled flowers in the large, flat-topped, branched sprays open through the late spring, to be followed by the small, pendulous, brownish pods with the single seeds. It is one of the fine choices for the old dye garden, the herb bed and the study collection, and it has been written up in the botanical and the historical papers for the blue dye and the very long history. It is a quiet, useful plant of the open, sunny, deep, rich, well-drained garden.

The woad seeds grow readily in a fine, sandy mix on a bright sill. The young plants are quick and sturdy, and they carry the yellow sprays in the first season after planting in the deep, rich ground.

To grow the woad from seed, sow the small, brown seeds over the surface of the tray of fine, sandy soil, then rake them in gently, keep the tray in a bright, open spot and water lightly, then set the young plants out in the open ground. The seedlings come through within a couple of weeks and grow on steadily. With the sun and the deep, rich, well-drained ground, the yellow sprays will rise over the years.