''Genista tinctoria'', the dyer's greenweed
or dyer's broom, is a
species of
flowering plant in the
family Fabaceae. Its other common names include dyer's whin, waxen woad and waxen wood. The Latin
specific epithet
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
''tinctoria'' means "used as a dye".
Description
It is a variable
deciduous shrub growing to tall by wide, the stems woody, slightly hairy, and branched. The alternate, nearly
sessile leaves are
glabrous and
lanceolate. Golden yellow pea-like flowers are borne in erect narrow
racemes from spring to early summer. The fruit is a long, shiny pod shaped like a green bean pod.
Distribution and habitat
This species is
native
Native may refer to:
People
* Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth
* Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory
** Native Americans (disambiguation)
In arts and entert ...
to meadows and pastures in Europe and Turkey.
Properties and uses
Numerous
cultivars have been selected for garden use, of which 'Royal Gold' has gained the
Royal Horticultural Society's
Award of Garden Merit
The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions.
History
The Award of Garden Merit ...
.
The plant, as its Latin and common names suggest, has been used from ancient times for producing a yellow dye, which combined with
woad also provides a green colour.
[
It was from this plant that the isoflavone genistein was first isolated in 1899; hence the name of the chemical compound. The medicinal parts are the flowering twigs.
The plant has been used in popular medicine and herbalism for various complaints, including skin diseases, even in modern times.]
Gallery
File:Genista tinctoria 001.JPG,
File:Genista tinctoria 250807.jpg,
File:Genista tinctoria 003.JPG
References
External links
*
tinctoria
Flora of Europe
Flora of the Northeastern United States
Medicinal plants of Asia
Medicinal plants of Europe
Plant dyes
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
{{medicinal-plant-stub