Weld (Mignonette family)

Weld - Reseda luteola

I found this plant growing between stone blocks at the edge of the lake. It is a beautiful but easily overlooked plant that belongs to the Resedaceae or Mignonette family.  Only two members of the Mignonette family are commonly found in the UK- Wild Mignonette (Reseda lutea) and the above Weld.
At first sight, Weld looks pretty inconspicuous but it demands closer inspection. It forms graceful spires of yellowish flowers tapering to a point about  30-40 cms off the ground. Individual flowers are hard to see but they repay close scrutiny with a hand magnifyer if you have one.

Weld Reseda luteola growing through the
paving by the lake
At first sight, petals and sepals are not obvious but if you get up close you can just make out four petals and four sepals. There is a larger irregular petal at the top with 4-5 'fingers', two smaller irregular lateral petals and an insignificant petal below. The 4 sepals are greenish and inconspicuous (see pictures below)
Within the corolla, there are multiple stamens and innermost there are 3-4 pistils.
The leaves, born on short stalks, are alternate, entire, lanceolate and have a lighter coloured stripe in the centre. This helps to distinguish Weld from Wild Mignonette which has pinnately cut leaves.

Weld is often found as a casual visitor on disturbed ground or by roadsides. So the stone block surround of Leazes Park lake is perhaps prime territory for it to thrive.  At least, until the lake margin gets its yearly strim.
Formerly Weld was used to extract yellow dye and for this reason was also known as Dyer's Rocket, Dyer's weed or yellow Weed. The plants would be dried, tied into bundles and sold to dyers as 'Weld cord'. 




Weld flowers in close up. Each flower is on a short individual stalk. You can just
make out the finger-like fronds of the upper petal and the multiple stamens


With magnification, you can make out 4 frond-like petals. The upper petal has 4-5 fingers,
the lateral 2-3 fingers and the lower petal just one. Greenish sepals are also visible


Entire, glabrous and lanceolate leaves of Weld

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