Practical
Plants

Reseda luteola

Weld

a biennial member of the Reseda genus in the family Resedaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Reseda
Life cycle
biennial
Height
1.5 m
Spread
0.5 m
Fertility
self fertile
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees, Insects, Self

Uses

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Narcotic (mild).

Product or use
Narcotic

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A deep yellow dye is obtained from the plant, it is of very good quality[5][7][8]. The plant is harvested as the last flowers fade[3]. Most of the dye is found in the seed[3]. An oil is obtained from the seed, used in lighting[2].

Product or use
Dye
Product or use
Oil

Environment

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[5].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 6+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline, very alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

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[6]. The seed germinates in the autumn in the wild.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

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[6]. 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[1][5][7]. A good plant for bees and butterflies[6]. Plants dislike root disturbance, they can be transplanted but care must be taken not to break the tap root[4].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩

  2. Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969-00-00 ISBN 0192176218

    ↩

  3. Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain.

    ↩1↩2

  4. Buchanan. R. A Weavers Garden.

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  5. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  6. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3

  7. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  8. Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968-00-00

    ↩

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