As part of our Plants to Dye For theme this year, we've taken another look at the botanical expeditions of four Linnaeus Apostles: Pehr Lofling, Pehr Kalm, Carl Peter Thunberg, and Daniel Solander. This time we looked at their exploration and specimen collection efforts through the lens of textiles and plant dyes, with writer Viveka Hansen, author of Textilia Linnaeana: Global 18th Century Textile Traditions & Trade, as our guide.
Following is a summary of some of these plants, organized by dye color.
Following is a summary of some of these plants, organized by dye color.
Color
|
Plant
|
Description
|
|---|---|---|
| Browns | Alder (Betula alnus) White oak (Quercus alba) Black walnut (Juglans nigra) |
Bark Bark (color fast) Hulls and bark (color fast) |
| Yellows | Canadian goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) Saffron (Crocus sativus) Dyer's weld (Reseda luteola) Dyer's broom (Genista tinctoria) Saw-wort (Serratula tinctoria) Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) Morinda (Morinda umbellata) Alexandrian Laurel (Calophyllum inophyllum) |
Flowers (best for wool, with alum) Flower stamens Flowers Plant Leaves Flowers Roots Nuts |
| Orange | Sassafras tree | Bark |
| Reds | American pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) Alder Spruce pine Indian Mulberry (Morinda citrfaolia) Indian Madder (Rubia cordata, now Rubia cordifolia) Ficus (Ficus tinctoria) + Geiger Tree (Cordia sebestena) |
Ripe berries (not color fast) Fresh roots Bark Root Root Fruit + Flower |
| Red-Purple | Brazilwood (Caesalpinia gilliesli) | Heartwood |
| Blue | Indigo (Indigofera tinctoria) "Polygonum Chinese barbatum & avuncular" Woad (Isatis tinctoria) |
Plant Leaves Leaves |
| Black | Mangosteen (Garcinia magnostana) | Hulls |
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