Eupatorium Raw Material

Eupatorium – This dyestuff comes from a genus of flowering plants in the aster family. Ageratina adenophora is known by many common names, including eupatory, sticky snakeroot, and crofton weed. Eupatorium adenophorum is a synonym. There are many species of the genus Eupatorium that contain colourants; interestingly, the 1882 bulletin of the Royal Gardens, Kew, records two species known as Paraguay indigo. Eupatorium gives soft egg-yolk yellows that range into oranges. When used with an iron mordant it can be used for an earthy moss greens, when overdyed with indigo it provides a satisfying range of yellow to blue greens.

Mordanting: Use alum mordant at 15% WOF for protein fibres. For cellulose, mordant with tannin at 8% WOF and then either alum at 15%, or aluminum acetate at 8%.

Dyeing with the raw material: Use 20-30% WOF for a medium depth of shade.

Options: When used with an iron mordant eupatorium can give earthy moss greens, when overdyed with indigo it provides a satisfying range of yellow to blue-greens.

For in-depth information on natural dyes see our Guide to Natural Dyes available on naturaldyes.ca. Also available as a Printable PDF.

Currently the three largest sizes of natural dyes are priced at wholesale rates. Our rates reflect a growing discount as the size increases.