| 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 L. |
|
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.
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.
The tincture or extract can be used externally for herpes or tetters.[1] [2]