Isatis tinctoria (woad)
Woad is a very old culture plant, growing up to tot 1,50 high and flowering in early summer with yellow flowers. Later on hanging clusters of black seeds ornate the plant. These are wanted in bouquets – The cultivation of woad as a dye plant for yarn and fabric in a lovely indigo blue, was well known throughout the Renaissance until the flourishing trade collapsed due to the cheaper indigo that came on the market. In the Pays the Cocagne (a cocagne is a spherical clump of dried and fermented pulp of Isatis leaves), in the French city of Lectoure, a Belgian couple reintroduced the traditional dying method. A visit to the atelier is worth the trip. 90z
