Willow bark

English Whithorn
17.1897

Description

Bark from black willow trees (Salix nigra) native the east coast of the United States. The bark from willow trees has been used for medicinal purposes by the Greeks since the 5th century since extracts produce salicylic acid, the presursor of aspirin. additionally the flexible shoots and bark were used for weaving and musical instrument. Extracts of the bark produce a pale brown to rose-tan color on wool using an alum mordant. Willow bark dye has good washfastness and fair lightfastness. Willow bark also contains a natural catechol tanning agent used to prepared leather.

• For willow dyes, see [Uemera Dye Archive (Yanagi and Nekoyanagi)]

Silk dyed with pussy willow flowers, Uemera Dye Archive

Resources and Citations

• R.J. Adrosko, Natural Dyes in the United States, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC, 1968

• John and Margaret Cannon, Dye Plants and Dyeing, Herbert Press, London, 1994

• Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willow (accessed August 2020)