Munjeet

Description

A natural orange-red dye extracted from the root of the of the munjeet plant, Rubia cordifolia, indigenous to the mountainous regions of Asia. Munjeet is a lightfast dye that was historically used for dying cotton in Asia. The principle colorant is munjistin, an anthraquinone, and it also contains smaller amounts of purpurin, pseudopurpurin, alizarin, and xanthopurpurin.

Synonyms and Related Terms

Indian madder; Natural Red 16

Risks

May turn blue in alkaline solutions.

Resources and Citations

• H.Schweppe, J.Winter, "Madder and Alizarin", Artists Pigments, Volume 3, E. West FitzHugh (ed.), Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1997.

• Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)