Rubia tinctorum

Rubia tinctorum L. is a dye plant.

Madder, the common name of this plant, is one of the most important dye plants used in Europe, not only for dyeing textiles but also for making pigments for paintings, known as madder lake.

Colors
This plant is used to achieve red and brown colours. The colorant molecules implied belong to the anthraquinone -group, being the main ones alizarine and purpurine.

Parts used
The roots of the plant on their third year. The roots are washed, dried and then chopped into small pieces. They can be stored that way until used. Traditionally there were different qualities.

Methods
You can use the roots chopped into small pieces or ground. To extract the red colour from madder you must heat the madder roots below 50°C, or the chemicals will be spoiled.

Synonyms
Local names: madder in North America, in japanese the colour made by this plant is called 西洋茜 [seiyō-akane].