What are the common plants used for plant dyeing fabrics?
Plant dyeing fabric utilizes a wide variety of plant species for dyeing, which contain various natural pigments, bringing rich and vibrant colors to the fabric. Here are some common plants used for plant dyeing:
Turmeric: A member of the ginger family, its dried rhizomes contain curcumin, which can be directly used to dye fabric yellow, making it one of the most famous and vivid natural yellow dyes.
Pagoda tree flower and husk: Leguminous plants, the flowers or dried flower buds contain genistein and other components, which can be used for direct dyeing or combined with various mordants to produce different colors, such as olive green and sky blue.
Gardenia: A member of the madder family, the fruit contains yellow pigment, which can be extracted for yellow dye.
Dyer's knotweed: A member of the knotweed family, the indigotin in its leaves can be processed into indigo and used as a blue dye. In ancient China, there were records of artificial cultivation of dyer's knotweed, and dyeing methods included dyeing by rubbing with fresh leaves and the precipitation method using fresh leaf water immersion.
Dyer's woad: A leguminous plant similar to dyer's knotweed, its leaves can also be used to extract blue indigo dye.
In addition to the above-mentioned plants, madder, safflower, lithospermum, Chinese sumac, Chinese indigo (Persicaria tinctoria), onion skin, blueberry, Pu'er tea, black tea, green tea, coffee, and other plants are also commonly used for plant dyeing. These plant dyes offer a wide range of colors, including red, yellow, green, blue, purple, etc., meeting various fabric and dyeing requirements.
Different plant dyes have different dyeing methods and techniques, and it is necessary to choose the appropriate plants and dyeing methods based on specific materials and dyeing requirements. At the same time, although plant dyeing fabrics have advantages such as environmental friendliness and naturalness, their color fastness and cost may differ from traditional chemically dyed fabrics, so comprehensive considerations are needed when selecting and using them.
Turmeric: A member of the ginger family, its dried rhizomes contain curcumin, which can be directly used to dye fabric yellow, making it one of the most famous and vivid natural yellow dyes.
Pagoda tree flower and husk: Leguminous plants, the flowers or dried flower buds contain genistein and other components, which can be used for direct dyeing or combined with various mordants to produce different colors, such as olive green and sky blue.
Gardenia: A member of the madder family, the fruit contains yellow pigment, which can be extracted for yellow dye.
Dyer's knotweed: A member of the knotweed family, the indigotin in its leaves can be processed into indigo and used as a blue dye. In ancient China, there were records of artificial cultivation of dyer's knotweed, and dyeing methods included dyeing by rubbing with fresh leaves and the precipitation method using fresh leaf water immersion.
Dyer's woad: A leguminous plant similar to dyer's knotweed, its leaves can also be used to extract blue indigo dye.
In addition to the above-mentioned plants, madder, safflower, lithospermum, Chinese sumac, Chinese indigo (Persicaria tinctoria), onion skin, blueberry, Pu'er tea, black tea, green tea, coffee, and other plants are also commonly used for plant dyeing. These plant dyes offer a wide range of colors, including red, yellow, green, blue, purple, etc., meeting various fabric and dyeing requirements.
Different plant dyes have different dyeing methods and techniques, and it is necessary to choose the appropriate plants and dyeing methods based on specific materials and dyeing requirements. At the same time, although plant dyeing fabrics have advantages such as environmental friendliness and naturalness, their color fastness and cost may differ from traditional chemically dyed fabrics, so comprehensive considerations are needed when selecting and using them.