- Genista tinctoria
Dyer's Broom Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Eudicots (unranked): Rosids Order: Fabales Family: Fabaceae Genus: Genista Species: G. tinctoria Binomial name Genista tinctoria
Genista tinctoria, with common names: Dyer's Broom, Dyer’s Greenweed, Dyer's Whin, Furze, Greenbroom, Greenweed, Waxen Woad, Woad Waxen and Waxen Wood, is a plant species of the genus Genista.
A perennial herbaceous shrub which is found in dry uplands from Maine to Massachusetts and in eastern New York, as well as in meadows, pastures and woods in Europe. Growing to a heights of 1-2 feet, the stems are woody, slightly hairy, and branched. The alternate, nearly sessile leaves are glaborous and lanceolate . Golden-yellow flowers grow in narrow panicles from June to August. The fruit is a long, shiny pod shaped like a green bean pod.
Properties and uses
It was from this plant that the isoflavone genistein was first isolated in 1899; and hence the name of the chemical compound. The medicinal parts are the flowering twigs.
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