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Indigo is a natural dye extracted from the leaves of some plants of the Indigofera genus, in particular Indigofera tinctoria. Dye-bearing Indigofera plants were commonly grown and used throughout the world, particularly in Asia, with the production of indigo dyestuff economically important due to the historical rarity of other blue dyestuffs.
Dye is obtained from the processing of the plant's leaves. They are soaked in water and fermented in order to convert the glycoside indican naturally present in the plant to the blue dye indigotin. The precipitate from the fermented leaf solution is mixed with a strong base such as lye.
The indigo dyeing process is centred in the Naju area, where regular flooding of the Yeongsan River provides an ideal wetland environment for the indigo plant. [2] The plants are harvested in July, before they flower, and the leaves are stored in earthenware jars of water for several days to extract the pigment.
Pages in category "Indigo dye production" The following 18 pages are in this category, out of 18 total. This list may not reflect recent changes. C. Champaran ...
The essential process of dyeing changed little over time. Typically, the dye material is put in a pot of water and heated to extract the dye compounds into solution with the water. Then the textiles to be dyed are added to the pot, and held at heat until the desired color is achieved.
Small flowers grow in the leaf axils from long peduncles or spikes, their petals come in hues of red or purple, but there are a few greenish-white and yellow-flowered species. [ 4 ] : 341 Indigofera flowers have open carpels , their organ primordial [ clarification needed ] is often formed at deeper layers than other eudicots . [ 5 ]
Common names include Chinese indigo, Japanese indigo and dyer's knotweed. [2] [3] [4] It is native to Eastern Europe and Asia. The leaves are a source of indigo dye. It was already in use in the Western Zhou period (c. 1045 BC – 771 BC), and was the most important blue dye in East Asia until the arrival of Indigofera from the south.
Indigofera heterantha is a deciduous shrub growing to 2–3 m (7–10 ft) tall and broad, with pinnate leaves, each leaf carrying up to 21 grey-green oval leaflets, and racemes of purple pea-like flowers in summer. [1] [2] The Latin specific epithet heterantha means "with various or diverse flowers". [3]