Dyer's Greenweed
Genista tinctoria
Dyer's greenweed - perennial broom-like shrub to 60cm(2ft) with erect, stiff branches bearing simple, alternate, spear-shaped
leaves. From mid-summer to early autumn, bright yellow, pea-like flowers grow in thick spikes at the ends of the shoots,
followed by smooth seed pods that ripen to brown.
The flowering tops of dyer's greenweed yield a yellow dye that was widely used to
color wool, linen and leather. The
fresh plant has diuretic properties and was used medicinally
to treat gout and rheumatism, while the seeds were mixed
into a plaster to set broken limbs.
HABITAT AND CULTIVATION
Dyer's greenweed is native to the Mediterranean and western Asia. Naturalized in North America.
Dyer's greenweed grows wild in
heath land and rough pasture land.
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