Prior to the introduction of synthetic dyes, Reseda luteola was the most widely used source of the natural dye known in English as weld. It is rich in luteolin, a flavonoid which produces a bright yellow dye. The yellow can be mixed with the blue from woad (Isatis tinctoria) to produce greens such as Lincoln green. The dye was in use by the first millennium BCE, perhaps earlier than either woad or madder. It was replaced by cheaper synthetic dyes in the early 1900s.
Resea luteola is most abundant in waste places. Good weld for dye must have flowers of a yellow or greenish color, and abound in leaves. Small, thin-stemmed, yellow plants are a better source of dye than large, thick-stemmed, green plants and plants that grow on dry, sandy soils are better sources than those growing on rich, moist soils.For maximum yield, plants should be cut early in fruit development. The dye works equally well with linen, wool, and silk, producing, with appropriate management, several bright and beautiful shades of yellow.
Its agronomic potential in Italy was evaluated by Angelini et al. (2003) [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0926669002000997]