Leaf type: Lanceolate, elongated, stem-clasping
Leaf margin: Smooth, slightly toothed
Phyllotaxis: Alternate
Colour: Blue-green
Life cycle: Biennial herbaceous plant
Leaf (upper side)
Leaf (under side)
Habitus & biology
Isatis tinctoria grows as a biennial, in the first year only the basal leaves appear, the flowering shoots follow after wintering.
The dull blue-green leaves and stems can turn purple in sunny locations.
Only the upper leaves are stem-clasping, the edge can be smooth or slightly toothed.
The plant can grow to a height of between 40 and 120 centimeters when in flower.
Distribution & habitates
Isatis tinctoria is native to central and eastern southern Europe and western Asia. In Western Europe, Central Europe, North Africa and on the American continents, the plant is a neophyte (source).
Colonized biotopes include dams, roadsides, ditches, gravel pits and dry meadows.
Botany
Isatis tinctoria is a member of the Brassicaceae family and commonly known as dyer’s woad, dyer’s-weed, glastum or simply as woad.
