Cut-Leaf Mignonette

Reseda lutea is an herbaceous flowering plant recognized for its fragrant properties. It has been historically significant for its use in dye production, particularly for making a yellow dye known as 'weld.' While it shares this use with the similar species Reseda luteola, the latter was more commonly employed for dyeing. Taxonomic studies have clarified that R. mediterranea is not the original material for R. lutea and is instead a synonym. A neotype was established to accurately represent the species as described by Linnaeus. The plant is distributed across multiple continents, including North America, Europe, and parts of Asia and Africa.