Jump to content

Woad

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Woad
Woad flowers
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Brassicales
Family: Brassicaceae
Genus: Isatis
Species:
I. tinctoria
Binomial name
Isatis tinctoria
Synonyms
  • Isatis indigotica Fortune
  • Isatis japonica Miq.

Woad is a flowering plant that was cultivated to produce indigo dye. It is native to the Mediterranean, Central Asia, and Europe. It was historically produced in England, France, and Germany in medieval times. Eventually, the Indigo plant replaced woad as Europe's main cash crop that produces indigo dye.[1] Woad also has medicinal properties, as an astringent. Romans referred to Celts of northern Britain as Picts because they used woad to heal their battle scars, producing a blue tattoo.[1][2]

References

[change | change source]
  1. 1.0 1.1 Speranza, Jasmine; Miceli, Natalizia; Taviano, Maria Fernanda; Ragusa, Salvatore; Kwiecień, Inga; Szopa, Agnieszka; Ekiert, Halina (2020-03-01). "Isatis tinctoria L. (Woad): A Review of Its Botany, Ethnobotanical Uses, Phytochemistry, Biological Activities, and Biotechnological Studies". Plants. 9 (3): 298. doi:10.3390/plants9030298. ISSN 2223-7747. PMC 7154893. PMID 32121532.
  2. Carr, Gillian. "Woad, tattooing, and identity in later Iron Age and early Roman Britain".