Editing Isatis tinctoria (section)

{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}}
{{Redirect|Woad|the American radio station|WOAD (AM)|'Woads' as a fictional name for a tribe|Picts in literature and popular culture}}
{{Redirect|Vitrum|the genus of tunicates|Vitrum (tunicate)}}
{{Speciesbox
|image = Isatis tinctoria02.JPG
|image_caption = Woad flowers
|genus = Isatis
|species = tinctoria
|authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
|synonyms = {{ubl|''Isatis indigotica'' {{small|Fortune}}|''Isatis japonica'' {{small|Miq.}}}}
}}

[[File:Isatis tinctoria (s. str.) sl5.jpg|thumb|Woad plants]]
[[File:Isatis tinctoria MHNT.BOT.2011.3.12.jpg|thumb|Fruits of ''Isatis tinctoria'']]
'''''Isatis tinctoria''''', also called '''woad''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|w|oʊ|d}}), '''dyer's woad, dyer's-weed''', or '''glastum''', is a [[flowering plant]] in the family [[Brassicaceae]] (the mustard family) with a documented history of use as a blue dye and medicinal plant.

Its genus name, ''Isatis'', derives from the ancient Greek word for the plant, {{lang|grc|ἰσάτις}}. It is occasionally known as '''Asp of Jerusalem'''. Woad is also the name of a blue [[dye]] produced from the leaves<ref>
{{cite web
 | url         = http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/woad
 | title       = Woad – Definition and More
 | access-date  = 3 February 2011
 | publisher   = Merriam Webster
}}
</ref> of the plant. Woad is native to the [[steppe]] and desert zones of the [[Caucasus]], Central Asia to Eastern [[Siberia]] and [[Western Asia]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Hegi |first=Gustav |title=Illustrierte Flora von Mitteleuropa. Spermatophyta, Band IV Teil 1. Angiospermae, Dicotyledones 2 |pages=126–131 |date=1986}}</ref> but is now also found in South-Eastern and Central [[Europe]] and western [[North America]].

Since ancient times, woad was an important source of blue dye and was cultivated throughout Europe, especially in Western and Southern Europe. In medieval times, there were important woad-growing regions in England, Germany and France. Towns such as [[Toulouse]] became prosperous from the woad trade.

Woad was eventually replaced by the more [[colourfast]] ''[[Indigofera tinctoria]]'' and, in the early 20th century, both woad and ''Indigofera tinctoria'' were replaced by synthetic blue dyes. Woad has been used medicinally for centuries. The double use of woad is seen in its name: the term ''Isatis'' is linked to its ancient use to treat wounds; the term ''tinctoria'' references its use as a dye.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Speranza |first1=Jasmine |last2=Miceli |first2=Natalizia |last3=Taviano |first3=Maria Fernanda |last4=Ragusa |first4=Salvatore |last5=Kwiecień |first5=Inga |last6=Szopa |first6=Agnieszka |last7=Ekiert |first7=Halina |date=2020-03-01 |title=Isatis tinctoria L. (Woad): A Review of Its Botany, Ethnobotanical Uses, Phytochemistry, Biological Activities, and Biotechnological Studies |journal=Plants |volume=9 |issue=3 |pages=298 |doi=10.3390/plants9030298 |issn=2223-7747 |pmc=7154893 |pmid=32121532|doi-access=free }}</ref> There has also been some revival of the use of woad for craft purposes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://folkcraftrevival.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-dyers-woad/|title = Natural Dyeing using Dyer's Woad|date = 13 December 2018}}</ref>