Plant Materials that can be used for Dyes
From NarratingLandscapes
by User: Kyla
Most plants can be used to extract dye, either from the bark, berries, flowers, roots or the entire plant.The following is a list of just some of the dye plants and what different authors say they produce. However, the results of natural dyes are often extremely variable and depend on the mordants you use, as well as the particular plant and the conditions of the soil, how much you use etc..
Alder: used by First Nations of British Columbia, bark produces red (Turner 2006)
Blackberry: berries produce rose color, young shoots produce grey (Robertson 1973:66)
Elderberry: berries produce pinkish or light grey (Cannon 2003: 30)
Horsetail: creates a green dye (Robertson 1973: 7)
Labrador Tea: creates a yellow-orange (McGrath 1977: 17)
Oregon-grape: stems produce bright yellow (Turner 2006; Robertson 1973:69; User:Kyla 2008)
Salal Berries : produce purplish blue (User:Kyla 2008)
Stinging Nettle: leaves make green/yellowish green (Cannon 2003: 82)Dried leaves produced greenish brown (User:Kyla 2008)
Tansy: (Robertson 1973: 44)
See Also: Dye Plants; UBC Dye Kit Journal; The Dyeing Process: Some tips on dyeing with different materials
References:
Bliss, Anne 1981. A Handbook of Dyes from Natural Materials. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
Cannon, John and Margaret 2003. Dye Plants and Dyeing. Portland: Timber Press.
Casselman, Karen Leigh 1980. Craft of the Dyer: Colour from Plants and Lichens of the Northeast. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Krochmal, Arnold and Connie 1977. The Complete Illustrated Book of Dyes from Natural Sources. Garden City: Doubleday & Company, Inc.
McGrath, Judy Waldner 1977. Dyes from Lichens and Plants. Toronto: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company.
Robertson, Seonaid 1973. Dyes from Plants. Toronto: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company.
Turner, Nancy J. 2006. Plant Technology of First Peoples in British Columbia. Vancouver: UBC Press.
Varner, Collin 2002. Plants of Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. Vancouver: Raincoast Books.
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