About Dye Root
Oldenlandia umbellata (called chay root or choy root, from its Tamil name, chaaya ver) is a low-growing plant native to India. A colour-fast red dye can be extracted from the root bark of (preferably) a two-year-old plant. Chay root dye was once used with a mordant to impart a red colour to fabrics such as calico, wool, and silk. It is grown on the Coromandel Coast in India.
Description adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Oldenlandia umbellata
- Genus
- Oldenlandia
- Family
- RUBIACEAE
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Dry and moist deciduous forests, also in the plains
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar
- Flowering & fruiting
- August-May
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Local Names
- Tamil
- இம்பூரல்
- Malayalam
- ഓൾഡെൻലാൻഡിയ ഉമ്പെല്ലാട്ട, Chay root, Choy root
Botanical family
Rubiaceae
Coffee/Madder family
Dye Root belongs to the Rubiaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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