Vegetable Dyes.

Mercurialis Perennis (Dog Mercury).—Steeped in water, it affords a fine deep blue colour, which, however, is destructible by acids and alkalies.

Myrica Gale (Sweet-gale, Dutch Myrtle).—When gathered in autumn it dyes wool yellow.

Empetrum Nigrum (Black Crowberry or Crakeberry).—This plant, or the berries only, when boiled in alum-water affords a dark purple dye.

Quercus Robur (Common Oak).—Oak apples are used in dyeing as a substitute for galls. When used with copperas, they produce a more beautiful black than that given by galls, but it is not quite so lasting.

Serratula Tinctoria (Common Saw-wort).—Gives off a yellow dye that can be used for dyeing coarse woollen cloth.

Hypericum Perforatum (Perforated St. John's Wort, and all St. John's Worts).—Gives, off a fine yellow dye when boiled in alum-water. The seeds, when steeped in oil, give a fine bright red colour called "hypericum red."

Symphytum Officinale (Common Comfrey).—The roots are glutinous and mucilaginous, and a decoction of them can be used by dyers with gumlac.

Scabiosa Succisa (Devil's Bit).—The dry leaves can be used for dyeing woollen green or yellow.

Galium Verum (Yellow Bed-straw).—The flowering stems, boiled in alum-water, give a yellow dye.

Reseda Luteola (Yellow Weed or Weld Dyers' Rocket).—It affords a most beautiful yellow dye for cotton, woollen, mohair, silk, and linen. Blue cloths, when dipped in a decoction of it, become green. The yellow colour of the paint called Dutch pink is obtained from this plant, as was formerly the very brightest and most durable yellow dye for Indian silk.

Rhamnus Frángula (Alder Buckthorn, Blackberry-bearings Alder).—The berries, gathered before they are ripe, dye woollen goods green. The bark dyes yellow. With preparations of iron it dyes black

Vaccintum Myrtillus (Common Bilberry, Whimberry, Black Whortleberry).—A purple dye can be got from the plant or the berries.

Colchicum Autumnale (Meadow Saffron).—A cream-coloured dye, as well as a yellow, can be obtained from this plant.

Berberis Vulgaris (Common Barberry).—From the inner bark of this plant a yellow dye can be extracted.

Agrimonia Eupatoria (Common Agrimony).—When this plant is coming into flower it will dye wool a full nankeen colour; or when gathered in the latter end of August or September, will dye a dark yellow.

Arctostapyhlos Uva Ursi (Uva Ursi, Red Bearberry, Trailing Arbutus).—This plant dyes an ash colour.

Nymphaea Alba (White Water Lily, White Pond Lily).—The roots will dye a dark brown or chestnut colour.

Prunus Spinosa (Wild Plum, Blackthorn, or Sloe).—The berries, bruised and put into wine, give to it a beautiful red colour and a pleasant sub-acid, rough taste. Cotton can be dyed a bright rose and a dark rose colour with the juice of wild plums combined with muriatic or sulphuric acid.

Common Plants and their Uses in Medicine was written by Richard Lawrence Hool, F.N.A.M.H., in 1922.