The introduction of foreign dye woods and other dyes during the 17th and 18th centuries rapidly displaced the native dye plants, except in certain out of the way places such as the Highlands and parts of Ireland. Some of these British dye plants had been used from early historical times for dyeing. Some few are still in use in commercial dye work (pear, sloe, and a few others); but their disuse was practically completed during the 19th century when the chemical dyes ousted them from the market.

The majority of these plants are not very important as dyes, and could not probably now be collected in sufficient quantities. Some few however are important, such as woad, weld, heather, walnut, alder, oak, some lichens; and many of the less important ones would produce valuable colours if experiments were made with the right mordants. Those which have been in use in the Highlands are most of them good dyes. Among these are Ladies Bedstraw, whortleberry, yellow iris, bracken, bramble, meadow sweet, alder, heather and many others. The yellow dyes are the most plentiful, and many of these are good fast colours. Practically no good red, in quantity, is obtainable. Madder is the only reliable red dye among plants, and that is no longer indigenous in England. Most of the dye plants require a preparation of the material to be dyed, with alum, or some other mordant, but a few, such as Barberry, and some of the lichens, are substantive dyes, and require no mordant.

Plants which Dye Red.—

• Potentil. Potentilla Tormentilla. Roots.
• Wild Madder. Rubia peregrina.
• Lady's Bedstraw. Galium verum. Roots.
• Gromwell. Lithospermum arvense.
• Marsh Potentil. Potentilla Comarum. Roots.
• Birch. Betula alba. Fresh inner bark.
• Bed-straw. Galium boreale. Roots.
• Common Sorrel. Rumex acetosa. Roots.
• Evergreen Alkanet. Anchusa sempervirens. With chloride of tin.
• Dyer's Woodruff. Asperula tinctoria. Roots.

Plants which Dye Blue.—

• Woad. Isatis Tinctoria.
• Whortleberry or blaeberry. Vaccinium Myrtillus. Berries.
• Elder. Sambucus nigra. Berries.
• Privet. Ligustrum vulgare. Berries, with alum and salt.
• [2] Sloe. Prunus communis. Fruit.
• Red bearberry. Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi.
• Dogs Mercury. Mercurialis perennis.
• Yellow Iris. Iris Pseudacorus. Root.
• Devil's Bit. Scabiosa succisa. Leaves prepared like woad.

Plants which Dye Yellow.—

• Weld. Reseda luteola.
• Meadow Rue. Thalictrum flavum. Roots.
• Marsh Marigold. Caltha palustris. Flowers.
• S. John's Wort. Hypericum perforatum.
• Heath. Erica vulgaris. With Alum.
• Spindle tree. Euonymus EuropÆus.
• Buckthorn. Rhamnus frangula and R. cathartica. Berries and Bark.
• [3] Dyer's Greenwood. Genista tinctoria. Young shoots and leaves.
• Kidney Vetch. Anthyllis Vulnararia.
• Marsh Potentil. Potentilla Comarum.
• Ling. Calluna vulgaris.
• Yellow Centaury. Chlora perfoliata.
• Hornbeam. Carpinus Betulus. Bark.
• Hedge stachys. Stachys palustris.
• Polygonum Persecaria.
• Polygonum Hydropiper.
• Hop. Humulus lupulus.
• Stinking Willy, or Ragweed. Senecio JacobÆa.
• Yellow Camomile. Anthemis tinctoria.
• Common dock. Rumex obtusifolius. Root.
• [4] Sawwort. Serratula tinctoria.
• Gorse. Ulex EuropÆus. Bark, flowers and young shoots.
• Broom. Sarothamnus scoparius.
• Bracken. Pteris aquilina. Roots. Also young tops.
• Way-faring tree. Viburnum lantana. Leaves, with alum.
• Bramble. Rubus fructicosus.
• Nettle. Urtica. With alum.
• Bog Myrtle or Sweet Gale. Myrica Gale.
• Teasel. Dipsacus Sylvestris.
• Sundew. Drosera.
• Barberry. Berberis vulgaris. Stem and root.
• Bog asphodel. Narthecium ossifragum.
• Agrimony. Agrimonia Eupatoria.
• Yellow corydal. Corydalis lutea.
• Privet. Ligustrum vulgare. Leaves.
• Crab Apple. Pyrus Malus. Fresh inner bark.
• Ash. Fraxinus excelsior. Fresh inner bark.
• Pear. Leaves.
• Poplar. Leaves.
• Plum. Leaves.
• Birch. Leaves.
• [5] Willow. Leaves.

Plants which Dye Green.—

• Privet. Ligustrum vulgare. Berries and leaves, with alum.
• Flowering reed. Phragmites communis. Flowering tops, with copperas.
• Elder. Sambucus nigra. Leaves with alum.
• Nettle. Urtica dioica and U. Urens.
• Lily of the valley. Convalaria majalis. Leaves.
• Larch. Bark, with alum.

Plants which Dye Brown.—

• Whortleberry. Vaccinium Myrtillus. Young shoots, with nut galls.
• Larch. Pine needles, collected in Autumn.
• Walnut. Root and green husks of nut.
• Water Lily. NymphÆa alba. Root.
• Alder. Alnus glutinosa. Bark.
• Birch. Betula alba. Bark.
• Oak. Quercus Rohur. Bark.
• Red currants, with alum.
• Hop. Humulus lupulus. Stalks give a brownish red colour.

Plants which Dye Purple.—

• Whortleberry or blaeberry. Vaccinium myrtillus. Berries. "It contains a blue or purple dye which will dye wool and silk without mordant."
• Deadly nightshade. Atropa Belladonna.
• Sundew. Drosera.
• Bryony. Bryonia dioica. Berries.
• Danewort. Sambucus Ebulus. Berries.
• Elder. Sambucus nigra. Berries, with alum, a violet; with alum and salt, a lilac colour.
• Dandelion. Taraxacum Dens-leonis. Roots. Dyes a magenta colour.
• Damson. Fruit, with alum.

Plants which Dye Black.—

• Alder. Alnus glutinosa. Bark with copperas.
• Blackberry. Rubus fruticosus. Young shoots, with salts of iron.
• Dock. Rumex. Root.
• Iris. Iris Pseudacorus. Root.
• Meadowsweet. Spirea Ulmaria.
• Oak. Bark and acorns.
• Elder. Bark, with copperas.