Short Description
Wild mignonette can grow up to one metre high.
The leaves are one- to three-pinnate, generally with a wavy margin. The leaves grow alternately on the stem.
The stem is generally upright with few branches and very leafy.
The flowers stand densely clustered in conical spikes. The individual florets generally have six petals and are light yellow. The petals are of unequal lengths. Numerous yellow stamens are found at the centre.
Fruits are upright when ripening.
Features
Wild mignonette
Reseda lutea
numerous small yellow flowers
flowers with six petals
In the city
In cities, some wild mignonette can be found in road verges, railway land and gravel pits. It prefers warm, dry sites rich in nutrients with light sandy loamy soil.
Fun Facts
Young leaves and shoots can be eaten as a vegetable, both raw and cooked.
In natural medicine, wild mignonette is used in the treatment of agitation and haematoma.
It flowers from June to September.
- Endangerment level Germany: not endangered
Wild mignonette was used to produce a yellow-green dye for wool and silk.
Sources
Blütenstand, Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Reseda_lutea.jpg
Habitus, Olivier Pichard, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Reseda_lutea_vallee-de-grace-amiens_80_21062007_1.jpg
Habitus, Maksim, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ResedaLutea-plant-kl.jpg
Spohn, M., Golte-Bechtle, M. & Spohn, R. (2015) Was blüht denn da? Stuttgart: Franckh Kosmos Verlag.
Fleischhauer, S. G., Guthmann, J. & Spiegelberger, R. (2007) Essbare Wildpflanzen. 200 Arten bestimmen und verwenden, Baden und München: AT Verlag.
Needon, C. & Petermann, J. (1991) Urania-Naturführer Pflanzen, Leipzig, Jena, Berlin: Urania-Verlag.
Schauer, T., Caspari, C. & Caspari, S. (2015) Der illustrierte BLV-Pflanzenführer für unterwegs. 1150 Blumen, Gräser, Bäume und Sträucher, München: BLV.
Page „Gelber Wau“. : Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 07.12.2016, 23:07 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gelber_Wau&oldid=160439658 (Accessed: 21.12.2016).
Bundesamt für Naturschutz (n.d.) Artensteckbriefe, URL: http://floraweb.de/pflanzenarten/artenhome.xsql?suchnr=4789& (Accessed: 21.12.2016).