Isatis includes annuals, biennials, and perennials that typically thrive in disturbed soils or arid, rocky environments. The basal leaves are ovate to oblong in shape, while the stem leaves are smaller and arrow-shaped without stalks. These plants produce loose racemes or panicles of yellow blooms that attract bees, making them beneficial for wildlife gardens.

Isatis alpina

Isatis aucheri

Isatis floribunda

Isatis frigida

Isatis glauca

Isatis iberica

Isatis iconia

Isatis kotschyana

Isatis spectabilis

Isatis tinctoria is a biennial plant, occasionally behaving like a short-lived perennial, reaching heights of up to 1.2 meters. It features a basal rosette of oblanceolate leaves and stems adorned with arrow-shaped foliage. In early summer, it produces clusters of yellow flowers, which are beneficial for bees, and these are succeeded by brown seed heads in late summer. The leaves are also the source of the well-known blue dye.

Isatis tinctoria

Isatis tinctoria subsp. athoa

Isatis tinctoria var. indigotica

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