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Common Name: Weld

General Information

Reseda luteola is a Biennial up to 1.50 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of materials..

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Europe, including Britain, from Sweden south and east to N. Africa and W. Asia.

Habitat

Disturbed ground, arable land, walls etc, especially on calcareous soils[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Biennial
Height	1.50 m
Pollinators	Bees, Insects, Self
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Easily grown in any well-drained neutral to slightly alkaline soil in a sunny position or in some shade if the summers are long and hot[].
At one time this plant was commonly cultivated for the dye obtained from the leaves and seed but with the advent of chemical dyes it has fallen into disuse[, , ].
A good plant for bees and butterflies[].
Plants dislike root disturbance, they can be transplanted but care must be taken not to break the tap root[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

Narcotic (mild).

Other Uses

A deep yellow dye is obtained from the plant, it is of very good quality[, , ]. The plant is harvested as the last flowers fade[]. Most of the dye is found in the seed[]. All parts of the plant, except the root, contain the dye[]. The dye is a flavone, which is a natural yellow of a phenyl benzo-pyrone structure. It is present in the plant as the glycoside or tannic esters[].
An oil is obtained from the seed, used in lighting[].

Propagation

Seed - sow in situ in the spring and only just cover the seed. An autumn sowing usually succeeds in areas where winter temperatures do not fall below about -10°c[]. The seed germinates in the autumn in the wild.