NATURAL DYES OF THE PHILIPPINES 405 



the leaves and young stems are cut off, put into water, and 

 boiled with the object to be dyed. The dyeing material is pre- 

 pared for sale by pounding the leaves and young stems into a 

 pulp and drying it in the sun. A mordant seems to be unneces- 

 sary.* 



Peristrophe hivalvis is a small bush usually about a meter or 

 less in height. The leaves are opposite, somewhat hairy, pointed 

 at the tip, abruptly pointed at the base, and 6 to 12 centimeters 

 in length. The flowers are fairly large, and pinkish or purplish. 



This species is distributed from the Mountain Province of 

 Luzon to Mindanao. 



Family RUBIACEAE 



Genus MORINDA 

 MORINDA CITRIFOLIA L. Bangkoro. 



Local names: Apatot (Batanes Islands) ; bangkoro (Cuyo Island, Cebu, 

 Mindoro, Tayabas, Palawan, Cotabato) ; bangkudo (Manila, Camarines^ ; 

 lino (Bataan) ; rukurok (Palawan) ; taing-dso (Mindoro) ; tumbong-dso 

 (Manila). 



The roots of this species are used in dyeing reds, purples, 

 and chocolate. According to Perkin and Everest : f 



The colouring matter is found principally in the root bark, and is 

 developed in greatest quantity at about the end of three or four years, 

 depending upon the character of the soil. After this time the dyeing 

 principle gradually disappears, and the matured trees, which eventually 

 attain the height of a mango tree, contain hardly a trace of it. The thin 

 roots are most valuable, roots thicker than half an inch being thrown 

 away as worthless. * * * -pj^g ^^j^j^ seems to depend primarily upon 

 the age of the root, and upon the proportion of root bark to stem which 

 is employed. The root bark gives the best reds; the dye in the woody 

 part of the root is yellow, and hence when the wood preponderates over 

 the bark the resulting dye is reddish yellow. 



The reds and pinks obtained on alumina mordant are yellower than the 

 corresponding madder colours, the chocolate presents a similar difference 

 in tone, and hence again appears fuller than a madder chocolate, whilst 

 the lilac is distinctly redder. Oil-prepared calico mordanted as for turkey- 

 red gives a very bright orange-red or scarlet similar in shade to that given 

 by flavopurpurin, and fast to clearing with soap and stannous chloride. 

 Chromium mordant on similarly prepared calico gives a full rich chocolate, 

 and iron mordant yields colours varying from dull purple to black, accord- 

 ing to the intensity of the mordant. On wool and silk, mordanted accord- 

 ing to the usual methods, good chocolate-browns are obtained with chromium, 



* Miller, H. H., Minier, J. F., Andes, U. S., Muller, T., and Brezina, 

 A., Philippine mats. Philippine Craftsman, Volume 1 (1912), page 161. 



t Perkin, A. G., and Everest, A. E., The natural organic colouring 

 matters (1918), pages 44, 48. 



