Dye Plant of the Month: Weld, Dyer’s Mignonette, Dyer’s Rocket, Dyer’s Weed (Reseda luteola)

Plant Family: Resedaceae (Mignonette Family)

Description: Biennial; plants up to 3 ft tall with attractively crimped leaves and inconspicuous yellow-green flowers in long, erect spikes.

Origin and Current Range: Europe, including Britain, from Sweden south and east to N. Africa and W. Asia. It is naturalized in some states in the U.S., including Colorado.

Habitat: Disturbed ground, arable land, walls, etc., especially on calcareous soils.

Reproduction and Cultivation: Reproduces from seeds. Prefers full sun and sandy, well-limed, well-drained soil. When harvesting plants for dye, leave some to reseed.

Dye Color and Parts Used for Dye: The entire plant is used traditionally, with alum or alum and tartar, to produce a brilliant yellow dye against which other yellow dyes are often compared. The active dye substance is the flavonoid luteolin. When weld is combined with woad (Isatis tinctoria, Brassicaceae), "Saxon Green" is produced. The plants are harvested when 80-85% of the flowers have developed seed heads, being careful not to lose too many seeds. Deep freezing is the best way to preserve the dye substance if you are not going to use the plants immediately (Ref. 2).

Other Information: This is one of the most ancient of dyes. Weld seeds have been found in Swiss Neolithic settlements, and the plant is thought to have been widely cultivated and used in the Mediterranean area in the Hellenistic period and in the Roman empire. The Romans used weld to dye the tunics of the vestal virgins (Ref. 1). The Irish referred to weld as Buídhe Mór or Great Yellow (Ref. 8).

References: 1. Buchanan, Rita. 1987. A Weaver’s Garden: Growing Plants for Natural Dyes and Fibers. Dover Publications, Inc.

2. Cardon, Dominique. 2007. Natural Dyes: Sources, Tradition, Technology and Science. Archetype Publications. [Contains extensive information on historical uses of weld.]

3. Dean, Jenny. 1994. The Craft of Natural Dyeing – Glowing Colors from the Plant World. Search Press.

4. Dean, Jenny. 2007. Colours from Nature: A Dyer’s Handbook. Search Press.

5. Jacobs, Betty E. M. 1977. Growing Herbs and Plants for Dyeing. Select Books.

6. Lambert, Eva and Tracy Kendall. 2010. The Complete Guide to Natural Dyeing – Techniques and Recipes for Dyeing Fabrics, Yarns and Fibers at Home. Interweave Press.

7. Essential Vermeer website: Weld - Origin, History and Characteristics. http://www.essentialvermeer.com/palette/palette_weld.html#.U499Hxbv-zA

8. Riley, Mara. Clothing of the Ancient Celts. http://www.marariley.net/celtic/SentToKass/Dyes.htm [This web site includes a long list of dye plants used by the ancient Celts.]