Dyes

I’ve always been intrigued by the human fascination with color. Why have human beings spent time and energy on making things whose sole purpose is to impart color — for little (apparently) practical reason? I’m not grateful for it, but it is still a bit of a mystery. Anyway, to business… Technically, a dye is a substance that works by binding chemically with the material to which it is imparting color. This differentiates dyes from pigments (covered in a separate section below), although there are some substances that do both, depending on the way they’re used.

• Acacia (Acacia spp.)
• Alizarin (Madder, Rubia spp.)
• Anatto (Achiote tree, Bixa orellana)
• Apatite
• Berberine (Barberry, Berberis vulgaris)
• Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus)
• Brazilin (Brazilwood, Caesalpinia echinata)
• Buckthorn (Rhamnus spp.)
• Catechu (Catechu, Senegalia catechu)
• Chica (Arrabidaea chica)
• Flame of the Forest tree (Butea monosperma)
• Galls (galls are abnormal growths on plants, that are a response to infection by insects, mites, or microbes)
• Gambier (Uncaria gambir)
• Henna (Henna tree, Lawsonia inermis)
• Hornbeam (Carpinus spp.)
• Iceland moss (Cetraria islandica)
• Indigo (true Indigo, Indigofera tinctoria)
• Kino (Eucalyptus, Barwood tree, Marri tree, Flame of the Forest tree). Kino is a resin with a distinctive chemical composition, found in several plants.
• Lac insect (Kerria lacca)
• Litmus (Archil, Roccella tinctoria)
• Logwood (Haematoxylum campechianum)
• Noni (Morinda citrifolia)
• Orcinol (Archil, Roccella tinctoria)
• Old fustic (Maclura tinctoria)
• Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum)
• Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius)
• Saffron (Saffron crocus, Crocus sativus)
• Sorrel (a.k.a. tanner’s dock, Rumex hymenosepalus)
• Sumac (Rhus spp.)
• Turmeric (Curcuma longa). Used to make curcuma paper, an indicator paper (like litmus).
• Valonia oak (Quercus ithaburensis)
• Woad (Isatis tinctoria)