Brassicaceae

Dyer's woad

Isatis tinctoria L.

Family: Brassicaceae
Genus: Isatis

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Dyer's woad (Isatis tinctoria) — FlowerPhoto: aroche, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (49)

Arabic: وسمة الصباغين
arz: وسمة الصباغين
azb: بویاق چویوت اوْتو
Azerbaijani: Boyaq rəngotu
Basque: Urdinbelar
Belarusian: Фарбоўнік, Вайда фарбавальная, Фарбоўнік фарбавальны
Cantonese: 菘藍
Catalan: Herba del pastell, Pastel
Chinese: 菘蓝, 菘藍, 南板蓝叶, 南板蓝根, 大青叶, 板蓝根, 欧洲菘蓝, 欧洲菘蓝*(@蓝、草大青）
Croatian: Ličilarski vrbovnik
Czech: Boryt barvířský
Danish: Farvevajd, Vajd
Dutch: Wede
English: Dyer's woad, Woad, Asp of Jerusalem, Glastum, Istasis indigotica
Esperanto: Vajdo
Estonian: Harilik sinerõigas
Finnish: Värimorsinko, Morsinko
French: Pastel des teinturiers, Pastel, Bleu guède, Guède
German: Färberwaid, Färber-Waid, Pastel
Hebrew: איסטיס הצבעים
hsb: Barbjerska sywina
Hungarian: Festő csülleng, Németindigó
Italian: Isathis tinctoria
Japanese: ホソバタイセイ, 細葉大青
Kazakh: Boyawlı ïsat, Бояулы исат, بوياۋلى ىيسات
Korean: 대청
kw: Liwles, Líolaind
Latin: Isatis
Lithuanian: Pastel
Norwegian Bokmål: Vaid, Banlangen
Norwegian Nynorsk: Vaid
Occitan: Pastèl, Cocanha
pcd: Waide
Persian: وسمه
Polish: Urzet barwierski
Portuguese: Pastel
Russian: Вайда красильная, Васмай, Индиго красильное, Красильная трава, Крутик, Немецкое индиго, Синиль, Синильник
se: Indigonávrraš
Slovak: Farbovník obyčajný
Slovenian: Silina, Oblajst
smn: Páinumyersseeruvnâ
Spanish: Glasto, Glastum, Hierba pastel, Isatide, Yerba pastel
Swedish: Vejde, Pastel, Vejd
Tajik: Ӯсма
Turkish: Çivit otu, Çivitotu
Uzbek: Oʻsma
Walloon: Waisse
Welsh: Llysiau lliw
za: Gohungh

Synonyms

Crucifera isatis E.H.L.Krause
Isatis alpina Vill.
Isatis bannatica Link
Isatis campestris Steven
Isatis canescens DC.
Isatis ciesielskii Zapał.
Isatis indigotica Fortune
Isatis japonica Miq.
Isatis kamienskii Zapał.
Isatis koelzii Rech.f.
Isatis macrocarpa B.Fedtsch. ex Nikitina
Isatis maeotica DC.
Isatis maritima Rupr.
Isatis oblongata var. yezoensis (Ohwi) Y.L.Chang
Isatis taurica M.Bieb.
Isatis tinctoria subsp. campestris (Stev. ex DC.) Kulcz.
Isatis tinctoria subsp. canescens (DC.) Malag.
Isatis tinctoria subsp. koelzii (Rech.f.) Jafri
Isatis tinctoria subsp. oblongata (DC.) N.Busch
Isatis tinctoria subsp. tinctoria
Isatis tinctoria subsp. transsilvanica (Simonk.) Soó
Isatis tinctoria var. canescens (DC.) Gren. & Godr.
Isatis tinctoria var. indigotica (Fortune) T.Y.Cheo & K.C.Kuan
Isatis tinctoria var. tinctoria L.
Isatis tinctoria var. vulgaris W.D.J.Koch
Isatis tinctoria var. yezoensis (Ohwi) Ohwi
Isatis transsilvanica Simonk
Isatis vermia Papanicolaou
Isatis villarsii Gaudin
Isatis yezoensis Ohwi

Flowers

In flower: April to June (from 378 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Forb/herb
Lifespan: Biennial, Perennial
In the US and Canada: Canada: introduced, Lower 48 states: introduced

Photos

FlowerPhoto: aroche, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: aroche, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Wolfgang Jauch, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Fabien Piednoir, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Reuven Martin, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: AnRo0002, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: AnRo0002, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Jean-Paul Boerekamps, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: AnRo0002, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: AnRo0002, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Александр Байдуков, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Isatis

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.