NATURAL DYES AND COLORING MATTERS. 443 



ANNATTO. 



The seeds of the annatto, Bixa orellana L., (achuete, Tagalog,) contain 

 two coloring matters, bixin and orellin. These substances have been 

 studied by Stein, 13 Marchlewski, 14 Zwick 15 and von Hasselt. 10 



The orange-yellow extract, known to the trade as annatto, is used 

 extensively as a butter color. It is not exported from the Philippines, 

 although it grows abundantly in these Islands. The plant is easily 

 cultivated and full crops may be obtained after three or four years. 17 

 In 1908 the seeds brought 4 pence, or about 8 cents United States 

 currency, per pound on the London market. The United States' supply 

 is grown in the West Indies. 



Annatto is of very little value as a dye for textiles as it fades very 

 quickly ; it has often been used to adulterate the well-known dye kamela. 

 and vice versa. 



FLOWERS USED EOR DYEING. 



In the case of flowers such as those of Acacia farnesiana Willd., or the 

 cassie flower and champaca, Michelia champaca L., which contain yellow 

 dyes, the value of the perfumes yielded by them most certainly precludes 

 their use, even locally, as sources of dyes. 



The flowers of two species occurring in the Philippines have recently 

 been investigated by A. G-. Perkin; 18 Hibiscus sabdariffa L., yielding three 

 yellow coloring matters, gossypetfn, a coloring matter probably allied to 

 quercitin, and quercitin, the latter being the well-known dye of oak bark. 

 This plant is cultivated locally. The flowers of Thespesia lampas D. & G. 

 also contained quercitin as their principal coloring matter. 



Henna, Lawsonia alba Lam., is a common Philippine dye plant. It 

 has sometimes erroneously been called alkanna. However, the use for 

 dyeing purposes of this plant as well as of true alkanna (Anchusa tinctoria 

 Linn.) has practically ceased. 



MORIN. 



The tree commonly known in India as the jak fruit, Artocarpus inte- 



grifolia L. f., (nangca, Tagalog,) occurs in the Philippines and the wood 



is sometimes used in dyeing yellow shades, but it is valued mostly for its 



# fruit. The dye is morin, or the same as that contained in "old fustic." 



™Journ. f. pralct. chem. (1867), 102, 175. 



^Ghem. Zentralbl. (1906), 2, 1264. 



lz Arch. d. Pharm. (1900), 238, 66. 



10 Chem. Zentralbl. (1909), 2, 627. 



17 Bull. Imp. Inst. (1908), 171. 



,s Journ. Chem. Soc. London (1909), 95, 1855. 



