NATURAL DYES OF THE PHILIPPINES 391 



mordanted with alum and cream of tartar or oxalic acid, or with potassium 

 dichromate, in which case other dyewoods, e. g. log-wood and old fustic, 

 are applied in addition. The colours produced bj' this method are now 

 only used to a limited extent. 



In cotton dyeing, peachwood-red was formerly obtained by first preparing 

 the cotton with tannin matter, then mordanting with a stannic salt, and 

 finally dyeing with peachwood, sappanwood, etc. Bro\\Tis were obtained by 

 the use of logwood in addition, with or without a final passage through 

 a ferric salt solution (nitrate of iron). These colours are now replaced 

 by others obtained from coal tar. 



Caesalpi7iia sappan is a small tree 3 to 5 meters high, with 

 scattered prickles. The leaves are compound and up to 50 cen- 

 timeters long. The flowers are yellow and from 2 to 2.5 cen- 

 timeters in diameter. The pods are hard, shiny and about 7 

 centimeters long and 3.5 to 4 centimeters wide. 



This species is found in India and Malaya and is common 

 and widely distributed in thickets in the Philippines, but is 

 probably an introduced plant. It is extensively cultivated in the 

 Island of Guimaras, chiefly as a hedge plant. 



Genus DESMODIUM 



DESMODIUM HETEROCARPUM (L.) DC. MANGKfT-PARANG. 



Local names: Agiktik (Moro) ; mangkit-pdrang (Laguna) ; manimanihan 

 (Polillo) ; mani-mani (Negros) ; taydm (Laguna). 



The flowers are used locally for dyeing purposes. 



Desmodium heterocarpum is a shrub about a meter in height, 

 with small purple flowers and alternate, trifoliate leaves. The 

 seed pods are jointed and borne in compact clusters. The in- 

 dividual pods are about 3 millimeters wide. 



This species is apparently fairly common and distributed from 

 Luzon to Mindanao. 



Genus INDIGOFERA 



Two species of indigo, hicligofera tinctoria L. and Indigofera 

 suffruticosa Mill., are grown to some extent in the Philippines 

 for local consumption. Indigo was formerly extensively culti- 

 vated in the Philippines, but is not exported at the present 

 time. According to Brooks,* indigo is employed by the Ilocanos 

 for blue, and, together with the yellow dye from Mahonia philip- 

 pinensis, for green. 



* Brooks, B. T., The natural dyes and colouring matters of the Phil- 

 ippines. PhiHppine Journal of Science, Section A, Volume 5 (1910), page 

 441. 



