EXCLUSIVE
Organic Madder Seeds (Rubia Tinctorum)
1.14 €
The roots of this ancient plant are rich in red alizarin and are the source of a strong red dye. The uniforms of the British Red Coats were dyed with madder root. It is a perennial plant growing to a height of approximately 100cm.
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Organic Madder (Rubia Tinctorum)
The roots of this ancient plant are rich in red alizarin and are the source of a strong red dye. The uniforms of the British Red Coats were dyed with madder root.
It is a perennial plant growing to a height of approximately 100cm. It has slender jointed stems which are covered with short prickly leaves. The flowers are small green/yellow and ball shaped. In the late autumn the seeds turn black and dry out to resemble black peppercorns.
Madder thrives in a full sun and well drained soil. The colour varies from red to orange depending upon the mineral content of the soil and water, the age of the root and where the madder was grown. The temperature of the dye pot also affects the colour, as does the water used. Madder produces a better red in hard water. The roots produce more alizarin pigment if the soil is well limed in the winter.
Madder has been cultivated as a dye for thousands of years in Central Asia and Egypt where it was grown as far back as 1500 B.C. Material dyed with madder root was found in the tomb of Tutankhamen.