A natural dye from the dried roots of the Alkanna tinctoria. Reds, true purples, dull dusky violets and grays are possible depending on the procedure and combination of dying practices. As a pigment, it has poor lightfastness.
Dyer's Alkanet is a fascinating plant with mysterious dualities. According to Sasha Duerr's book on Natural Palettes, alkanet's flowers are blue in alkaline environments and pink in acidic ones, and this curious plant is said to be a natural perennial some growing zones and a biennial in colder zones. Dyer's alkanet is different from regular alkanet or green alkanet, and we've heard its seeds can be hard to find.
It is often used in tinting soap, but may also be used to color wines or even wood. More information from Kremer Pigments can be found here
