Rubia cordifolia Seeds | Indian Madder
LATIN NAME: Rubia cordifolia
COMMON NAME: Indian Madder
Plant Profile
Indian madder is a scrambling perennial vine, 1-2 m, with rough, prickly stems and whorls of heart-shaped leaves. The roots are the crop: they are long, orange-red and rich in the dye that gives the plant its name.
The plant climbs by means of small hooks on the stems, and in the garden it needs a support or a shrub to scramble through. The flowers are tiny and greenish, and the fruit is a small black berry.
Rubia cordifolia comes from the Himalayas and south-east Asia, and it is one of the oldest dye plants in the world. Madder red was the colour of the British army coat, and the dye was produced commercially until synthetic alizarin replaced it in the nineteenth century.
Science & Biotechnology
The root contains alizarin and purpurin, anthraquinone dyes that bind to mordanted cloth and give a range of reds from orange to deep madder. Alizarin was the first natural dye to be synthesised, in 1868, and that synthesis effectively ended the madder trade.
The plant is also used in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine, where the root is credited with blood-moving and anti-inflammatory properties. Extracts have shown antioxidant and antimicrobial activity in vitro, and the safety profile for internal use is not well established.
Madder is a member of the coffee family, and like many Rubiaceae it contains iridoids and anthraquinones. The dye compounds are concentrated in the root bark, which is why the roots are lifted, dried and ground rather than used fresh.
Uses & Benefits
The root is a dye plant, used for wool, silk and cotton with an alum mordant. It gives a range of reds and, with an iron mordant, a deep purple-brown. It is also used in traditional medicine in India and China.
In the garden the plant is grown as a scrambling ornamental and as a dye crop, and it is useful for covering a bank or a rough fence. Commercially the dried root is sold to natural dyers, and the plant is a minor medicinal herb. The berries are not edible.
Growing from Seed
Sow in spring at 18-22°C, 1 cm deep, after soaking the seed for a day. Germination is slow and uneven, three to six weeks. The seedlings are weak at first and need a sheltered start.
Plant out at 60 cm apart in sun or light shade, with a support to climb on. The plant prefers moist, well-drained soil and resents drying out. Water through the first summer. Lift roots in autumn of the third year, when the dye content is highest, and dry them whole before grinding. Stems root where they touch the ground, so a plant can travel several metres in a season unless it is cut back in autumn.
Our Take
A dye plant with a place in history and a rough, scrambling habit, best grown where it has something to climb and no need to look tidy.
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