( Note: Most plants can produce more than one color. Common names of North American native plants that can be used for dyes. The 10 plants used most commonly by Native Americans for dyes and the number of uses (Moerman, D. Native North American Plants Used for DyesĮuropean settlers in North America learned from Native Americans to use native plants to produce various colored dyes (see Table 2). Lichens were used to produce ochril, a purple dye, which was called the “poor person’s purple”.Tyrean purple became the color of royalty.This purple dye was extremely expensive to produce as it required nearly 12,000 mollusks to produce 3.5 ounces of dye.and was produced from the glandular secretions of a number of mollusk species. Tyrean purple dye was discovered in 1500 B.C.Mordants can be used to increase color intensity such as in this Southwestern–style rug. Similar dyed fabrics were found in the tombs of Egypt.įinely woven Hopi wicker plaques made from rabbitbrush and sumac stems colored with native and commercial dyes. Textile fragments dyed red from roots of an old world species of madder ( Rubia tinctoria) have been found in Pakistan, dating around 2500 BC. Throughout the world, evidence of natural dyeing in many ancient cultures has been discovered. Highly toxic – should not be used for dyeing at home Produces bright colors especially yellows, oranges, reds Improves likelihood of obtaining a green hue Mordants most commonly used with natural dyes.īrightens the colors obtained from a dye sourceĭarkens/saddens hues, produces blacks, brown, gray Use of this readily available spice is important because it reduces fiber stiffness that can occur because of mordanting. Most mordant recipes also call for the addition of cream of tartar or tartaric acid. The actual color one gets from a natural dye depends not only on the source of the dye but also on the mordant, and the item being dyed. Mordants are water-soluble chemicals, usually metallic salts, which create a bond between dye and fiber thus increasing the adherence of various dyes to the item being dyed. Dyes that need this type of assistance are called adjective or mordant dyes. Because these species are high in tannic acid, they do not require additional substances to be added for the dye to attach to fibers and form a durable bond. Sumac ( Rhus spp.) and walnut ( Juglans spp.) are native plant examples of direct dyes. Natural dye materials that produce durable, strong colors and do not require the addition of other substances to obtain the desired outcome are called substantive or direct dyes. Native plants and their resultant dyes have been used to enhance people's lives through decoration of animal skins, fabrics, crafts, hair, and even their bodies. The staining properties of plants were noted by humans and have been used to obtain and retain these colors from plants throughout history. Plants have been used for natural dyeing since before recorded history.
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