Dyes on Pern

 

The following list provides a list of colours and the plants that can provide that coloured dye.   Where I have been able to obtain them, I have listed the required mordant for each colour/plant where I know them but have been unable to obtain these for all.  

 

Remember that no dye at any given time will match exactly a previous dye.   Also the colours achieved can vary wildly dependant upon the area the plant grows and the season in which it is picked and used.

 

 

Aconite

• Green- from sheaves of flowers

Alfalfa

• Yellow – shades with no mordant from boiling the hay in water.

A sub variety – the black medic gives:

• Green – yellow green with an Alum Mordant from Black Medic
• Tan – golden with Chrome Mordant
• Green – grey with Copperas
• Yellow – lemon with tin mordant

Almond

• Green - A green dye can be obtained from the leaves.
• Green - A dark grey to green dye can be obtained from the fruit.
• Yellow – from the roots (no other info)
• Yellow – An alum mordant from the leaves.

Aloe Vera

• Yellow – no other information

Apples

• Red - Pink - Crab apple with Alum Mordant
• Brown -  Tan with Alum Mordant from bark
• Green – mid-green with Iron Mordant from bark
• Orange – light with Chrome Mordant from leaves and twigs
• Orange – apricot with Alum Mordant from leaves and twigs
• Yellow – dull gold with Alum Mordant from bark or twigs
• Yellow – light with Alum Mordant from leaves

Ash

• Green - dye is obtained from the leaves.
• The bark is a source of tannin.
• Yellow – with Alum Mordant

Black Ash

• Blue - dye can be obtained from the bark.

Red Ash

• Red -  dye is extracted from the bark.

Blue Ash

• Blue  - dye is obtained from the inner bark. The bark is ground into a powder and then steeped in water in order to obtain the dye.

Banana

• Brown – Various shades (no further info)
• Black – with an Iron Mordant from the flower clusters

Kidney (French) beans

• Brown  - dye is obtained from red kidney beans

Birch

• Blue – Purple with Alum Mordant from inner bark
• Brown – Tan, no mordant, from inner bark
• Yellow – bright with Alum Mordant from leaves
• Yellow – deep gold with Alum Mordant from bark
• Red – from silver birch
• Orange – from silver birch
• Grey – from white part of inner bark

Blackberries - Terran

• Purple to dull blue – with Alum Mordant is obtained from the fruit.
• Purple – Bright with Tin Mordant from the fruit
• Tan – reddish, with Alum Mordant from the vines and leaves of young plants
• Black – blue-black with Iron Mordant from young green shoots
• Green – dark green with Chrome Mordant from fresh berries
• Grey – dark with Iron Mordant from young shoots
• Grey – blue with Alum Mordant from berries
• Red – rose pink with Alum Mordant from fresh berries
• Yellow – no mordant from leaves

Black Mustard

• Green – pale green with Alum Mordant from flowers
• Yellow – Pale gold with Chrome Mordant from flowers

Blueberry

• Blue - Bluish-purple Dye from the berries

Borage, Borrago

• Blue  - dye is obtained from the flowers. This turns pink on contact with acids.
• Blue - The flowers produce a nice pure blue for paints.

Box

• Auburn - The leaves and sawdust, boiled in lye, have been used to dye hair an auburn colour.

Cabbage

• Blue  - dye can be obtained from the leaves of purple cultivars
• Green – light shades with Alum Mordant from leaves

Cherries

• A green dye can be obtained from the leaves.
• A dark grey to green dye can be obtained from the fruit.
• The bark usually only contains small amounts of tannin, but this sometimes rises to 16%.

Red Clover

• Yellow - golden tan with alum, tin or chrome mordants.

Comfrey

• Yellow – yellow with no mordant from tops of plants
• Yellow – with Alum Mordant from tops of plants
• Orange – with no mordant from fresh leaves and flowers
• Brown – with Iron Mordant from leaves and stalks
• Red – with no mordant from roots

Silver fir

• Brown – light coffee with Alum Mordant from cones

Maritime pine:

• Green - tan or green from the needles.
• Brown – walnut shade from the pine seeds

Corn

• Yellow – various from whole – no other info

Cottonwood tree

·         Various dyes can be obtained from the leaf buds in the spring - green, white, yellow, purple and red have been mentioned.

Cucumber

• Yellow – tan shade from vines and leaves

Feverfew

·         Yellow – greenish with Chrome Mordant from fresh leaves and stems 

·         Green – as above. 

Fellis Tree

• Green – Deep (no other info)

Fingeroots (carrots)

• An orange dye is obtained from the root.
• Yellow – pale lemon with no mordant from parings
• Yellow – bright yellow with Alum Mordant from parings
• Red – from the flowers

Grapes

• A yellow dye is obtained from the fresh or dried leaves.
• Blue – lavender with Alum Mordant from fruit
• Blue – reddish-purple with Chrome Mordant from fruit

Grasses

• Yellow – gold with Chrome Mordant for sedge like grasses.
• Green – dark green-green with copperas Mordant for sedge grasses
• Tan – greenish to brass with Alum Mordant for sedge grasses

Hazelnut tree

• Brown – from the bark

Hops

• Brown – Hazel from the leaves and flower heads.
• Red – pinkish with Alum Mordant from fresh stems

Lavender

• Red – dark dusty rose with Alum Mordant

Litmus

The different lichens give different colours:

• Blue – no mordant
• Red - Wine-coloured (Cudbear) with Alum Mordant
• Orange or tan – no mordant
• Violet – cudbear with soda
• Purple – cudbear with Tin Mordant
• Brown – rich chestnut with no mordant
• Brown – yellow-brown with no mordant
• Brown – copper with Chrome Mordant

Mangoes

• A secret recipe for artist's paint used the urine of cows fed on mango leaves

Marjoram

• Green – with an Alum Mordant from the tops
• Red – red to purple with Alum Mordant from the whole
• Red – purple from the tops
• Green – with a Chrome Mordant from the whole
• Red – Fine Crimson from the flower, mixed with apple leaves, pounded, fermented with malt and yeast and dried when done.

Meadowsweet

·         Black  - from roots with Iron Mordant.

·         Yellow – greenish yellow with Alum Mordant from whole plant

·         Blue – no info from the flowers

Spearmint/Gardenmint:

• Green – yellow to khaki with no mordant from leaves and stalks

Mushroom

• Mushrooms produce a wide variety of shade and colour. Most mushrooms yield yellows or dull browns, but some varieties yield blues, greens, reds, oranges, purples, and most other colours.

Nettle 

• Green - A beautiful and permanent green dye is obtained from a decoction of the leaves and stems.
• Yellow – bright with Chrome Mordant from leaves and stalks
• Yellow – with no mordant from stalks and leaves
• Yellow – acid yellow with Alum Mordant from stalks and leaves

Oak

• Oak galls are excrescences that are sometimes produced in great numbers on the tree and are caused by the activity of the larvae of different insects. The insects live inside these galls, obtaining their nutrient therein. When the insect pupates and leaves, the gall can be used as a rich source of tannin, that can also be used as a dyestuff.
• A black dye and an excellent long-lasting ink is made from the oak galls, mixed with salts of iron The colour is not very durable.
• When mixed with alum, the dye is brown and with salts of tin it is yellow.
• Tan – Acorns with Alum Mordant
• Brown – strong brown with Alum Mordant from bark

Onion

• A yellow-brown dye is obtained from the skins of the bulbs.
• Yellow – Gold with Chrome Mordant with red onion skins
• Yellow – various with yellow onion skins or bulbs with Alum Mordant
• Green – light to dark with Iron or Copperas Mordant from skins or bulb
• Brown – Rich, with Copperas Mordant
• Brown – brass with Chrome Mordant
• Tan/Brown – from red onion skins with Tin Mordant
• Orange – burnt with an Alum Mordant from skins

Parsnips

• Yellow – gold to tan – from tops (no other info)

Pawberry

• Leaves boil to make the finest red for paints

Peach

·         A green dye can be obtained from the leaves.

·         Yellow – with Alum Mordant

·         Yellow – with Tin Mordant – brighter than Alum

·         A dark grey to green dye can be obtained from the fruit.

·         A Red dye from the wood

·         A dark chocolate brown from wood mordanted with alum

Pears

• Yellow - tan dye is obtained from the leaves.
• Yellow – dull yellow with Alum Mordant from fresh leaves
• Brown – walnut from fruit pulp

Plaintain

• Black – with iron mordant from the flower juice

Plum

• Green -  dye can be obtained from the leaves.

·         Green - A dark grey to green dye can be obtained from the fruit.

·         Yellow - dye is obtained from the bark.

·         Yellow – from the rind of the black plum fruit

Raspberry

• A red to purple to dull blue dye is obtained from the fruit.

Redroots

• Tan – various with Alum Mordant
• Oranges – apricot with no mordant from whole
• Oranges – bright with alum mordant from whole

Redwort

• Red - Redwort leaves a red stain on hands (and has a nasty stench).  This indicates that it might be suitable for a red dye.

Reeds

• Green – light with Alum Mordant from flower heads or whole

Rowan

• A black dye is obtained from the young branches. All parts of the plant contain tannin and can be used as a black dye. Trees are very wind resistant and can be used in shelterbelt plantings.

Rosemary

• Red – dark dusty rose colour with Alum Mordant
• Green – Produces various shades of yellow-green to green

Rue

• A red dye is obtained from the plant.
• Yellow – no mordant from the stalks (it is fast)

Sabsab Bush

• A yellow pigment for paints can be obtained from the root

Sage

• Red – Rose with Alum Mordant - possible if the scarlet sage variety is available
• Yellow – buff with alum mordant from the tops
• Yellow  - bright with chrome mordant
• Green – grey with iron mordant.

Scrub pine

• A tan or green dye is obtained from the needles.
• Orange – tangerine with Alum Mordant from cones
• Yellow – orangey-yellow with Alum Mordant from fallen cones

Seabeachplum

• A green dye can be obtained from the leaves.
• A dark grey to green dye can be obtained from the fruit.

Seaweeds

• Yellow/Green – dark with Copperas Mordant
• Tan – light with Alum Mordant
• Grey – with Alum Mordant
• Lye – when burnt gives soda ashes

Tansy

• Green  - from the young shoots.
• Yellow – lemon with Alum Mordant from flowering heads
• Orange – with Chrome Mordant and cream of tartar from the young leaves and flowering tops.

Tomato

• Tan – various from the vine with Alum Mordant
• Tan – green tones from the vine with Copperas
• Brown – red-brown from the vine with Tin Mordant
• Green – mint green with Alum Mordant from leaves or vines
• Yellow – soft apricot with Alum Mordant from fresh vines

Tubers

·         Yellow – lemon from the stalks and leaves

Tussilago (Colts Foot)

• Green – no other info

Walnut

• Brown – no mordant from the nuts, husks and bark.
• Brown – copper with Alum Mordant from husks and bark
• A brown dye is obtained from the leaves and stems. It does not require a mordant. The dye turns black if it is prepared in an iron pot. The leaves can be dried for later use.
• The outside shell gives off a black dye when beaten, and this is used to paint house doors
• Black – with Iron Mordant from husks

Black Walnut:

• A golden brown dye can be obtained from the seed husks.
• A light brown dye is obtained from the young twigs.
• Black – with copperas mordant (from the husks)
• Brown – tan with no mordant from husks
• Brown – mid-brown with Iron Mordant from husks

Wedgenuts (Brazil nuts)

• Red dye from wood without a mordant
• Brown dye from wood with mordants

White thorn (Hawthorn?)

• Red – no other information

Willow

• Yellow – no other information

Woodruff

• Soft-tan and grey-green dyes are obtained from the stems and leaves with an Alum Mordant
• Brown – light brown (no other info) from leaves
• Red – light with Alum Mordant from the roots

Yarrow

• Yellow – Bright to white with Alum Mordant from flowers
• Yellow – Brilliant with Tin Mordant from flowers
• Yellow – tan with Copperas from flowers
• Green – olive with Iron Mordant from whole
• Grey – grey to black from whole plant

Yellow fruit (Lemon)

• Green – light yellowy with Chrome Mordant from the peel

Yellow-veined grass

 

Non-Vegetable

Boles:

• Red - Similar to ochre – a sesquioxide of iron, found naturally and used for painting and dyeing.

 

Brownstone:

• Black/Brown – Manganese Peroxide, the powder is used in painting and dyeing

Cinnabar:

• Red – Mercury Sulphide often found with iron or copper pyrites.

Coal – used with honey or milk to produce colour as cannot be used alone.

Ochre’s: Clays with iron oxide giving shades from Light yellow-to-yellow; red to brown; dependent on the amount of iron oxide.  Used for dyeing and painting.

Orpiment

• Yellow from arsenic trisulphide

Prussian Blue:

• Blue – ferric Iron Cyanide (the cloth is steeped in this, then potassic iron cyanide and then ferric chloride.

Realgar:

• Red – Red arsenic sulphide for paint and dyeing

Soot: gives a dye if mixed with gumming materials

Ultramarine:

• Blue – light blue dye obtained from heating powdered shells, treating with vinegar and water and then re-powdering.

Copper Salts:

• Green

Cobalt

• Blue – used for painting (Red Star Rising)

Shellfish

• Orange – bright, found off Ista’s shores.