Main Plant Dyes Used in Ancient China

The main plant dyes used in ancient China are indigo, Lithospermum, Hibiscus, Rubia and Isatis indigotica. The following is a detailed answer to this question:

1. indigo

Indigo, also known as bluegrass, is a natural dye extracted from Polygonum plants. In ancient China, it was widely used for textile dyeing, especially for blue fabrics, such as blue cloth and blue clothes.

2. Arnebia euchroma

Lithospermum is a dye extracted from the roots of Lithospermum, which can produce crimson to purple pigment. In ancient China, Arnebia euchroma was used to dye red and purple fabrics, especially clothes and court etiquette articles.

3. Hibiscus

Hibiscus is a common flower plant, which was widely used as one of the dye sources in ancient China. Hibiscus can extract a deep red to purple dye, which can be used to dye clothes and silk and give it gorgeous color.

4. Artificial madder dye

Madder is a traditional red dye plant, which mainly grows in the south of China. Its roots are rich in alizarin, and red dyes can be extracted for dyeing silk, cotton cloth and leather. Unearthed cultural relics prove that most mordants used in ancient times were alum containing more aluminum ions. This is because the aluminum hydroxide produced by alum hydrolysis reacts with alizarin, which can generate bright red precipitate and has good adhesion.

5. Isatis indigotica

Isatis indigotica is a dye from Isatis indigotica, which has a purple-blue pigment. In ancient China, Isatis indigotica was widely used in the costumes of royalty and nobility, giving it noble and elegant colors.

6. Other plant dyes

In addition to the above-mentioned main plant dyes, there are many other plants as dye sources in ancient China, such as viola yedoensis, ramie, Pistacia chinensis, Isatis indigotica and Gentiana.

Summary: The main plant dyes used in ancient China are indigo, Lithospermum, Hibiscus, Rubia, Isatis indigotica and so on. These plants provide rich pigments, which are used to dye various fabrics and textiles and give them colorful colors. In addition to these main plant dyes, many other plants are also used for dyeing. These plant dyes played an important role in ancient costumes and culture.