Woad in full flower, May

One of the flowers I grow on the allotment is Woad, Isatis tinctoria.

Woad is a biennial member of the Brassicaceae (cabbage family). The plant forms a rosette of dark slightly bluish green leaves in its first year and at this point the plant is also putting down a long tap root. In the second year it grows up to five feet tall and produces a froth of bright yellow flowers, followed by flattened seedpods that become purplish brown when ripe.

Woad seeds prolifically and is an invasive weed in some parts of the world, such as parts of the United States. Because of the long tap root it is best to weed out any plants that are growing in the wrong place as soon as possible.

Woad is known for the use of its leaves in dyeing. It is grown commercially in Norfolk by Woad Inc, who offer dyeing workshops. Woad was probably used by British tribes in the Iron Age and the Iceni probably used the dye as a body paint in battle (read more). Several places in Britain are named after Woad. Glastonbury in Somerset means “place where the woad grows” and there are several villages with “Wad” in the name, such as Waddicar in Lancashire.

Woad has been culitvated all over Europe but it is native to the steppe and desert zones of the Caucasus, Central Asia to eastern Siberia and Western Asia. I first saw it growing on the lower slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily and my plants are a reminder of an enjoyable holiday visiting Etna, Stromboli and other southern Italian volcanoes.