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Isatis tinctoria, also called woad (/ ˈ w oʊ d /), dyer's woad, dyer's-weed, or glastum, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae (the mustard family) with a documented history of use as a blue dye and medicinal plant.
Aug 7, 2024 · Native to southwestern Asia and Europe, woad was once the only source of blue dye for fabric and fibers for many parts of the world. Overdyeing woad with other pigments dyed fabric black...
- Danielle Herring
Woad, (Isatis tinctoria), biennial or perennial herb in the mustard family (Brassicaceae), formerly grown as a source of the blue dye indigo. A summer-flowering plant native to Eurasia, woad is sometimes cultivated for its attractive flowers and has naturalized in parts of North America, where it.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Woad originally flourished in Egypt, Turkey, and the warm climate of the Mediterranean. Somehow, however, it spread along the routes of human migration and steadily penetrated further north, as well as further East.
The only source of blue colouring throughout history has been indigo, and woad (Isatis tinctoria) was its source in Europe. Grown in Europe since the Stone Age it has a long association with East Anglia, notably with Boudicca and the Iceni tribe who used woad to colour their faces before going into battle. Further north the Picts also gained ...
Mar 27, 2020 · The plant is native throughout Eurasia, and as far as historians and archaeologists can tell, ancient Egyptians were the first to realize its potential as a dye around 2500 BCE. With the use of woad came words for the color blue.
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Apr 5, 2024 · Woad is native to the Mediterranean, originating in Turkey and the Middle East, from where it spread into Europe. As early as the Neolithic, 5 to 10,000 years ago, woad seeds were stored for future use (see Barber - Prehistoric Textiles).
