Woad
A biennial crucifer that turns steppes and roadsides into yellow clouds in spring; like rapeseed it offers bees plentiful nectar and pollen.
- Nectar
- Good
- Pollen
- Good
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 0.5-1.2 m
- Life cycle
- Biennial
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Woad is a biennial crucifer whose leaves were once used to make a blue dye. Turkey is one of the countries with the most species of the genus Isatis, and these species are common on the steppes of Central and Eastern Anatolia and along roads and field edges. Its small yellow flowers are gathered in broad, branched clusters; because the nectar and pollen are exposed, honey bees use them easily.
Flowering
It forms a leaf rosette in the first year and flowers in April-June of the second year. Flowering lasts about 3-4 weeks and provides an early flow on the steppe similar to oilseed rape.
Honey and pollen
No monofloral honey is produced; its nectar ends up in steppe spring honey. As is typical of crucifers, its nectar can be rich in glucose, which contributes to rapid crystallisation of the honey.
Note for the beekeeper
In western North America it is regarded as an invasive weed; in Turkey and Europe it is native. It is one of the reliable sources of spring build-up for steppe apiaries.