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¶ Rubia tinctorum
Rubia tinctorum, also called "madder", is a spcies of plant from the "Rubiaceae", which also contains coffee and bedstraw. It is a herbaceous perennial plant that grows in a crawling form along the ground. It has been a culturally and economically significant source of red, orange, and purple dyes throughout much of human history.
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Binomial name
Rubia tinctorum
Common Name
- Common Madder
- Dyer's Madder
- Rose Madder
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Rubiaceae
Genus: Rubia
Species: R. tinctorum
Native Range
Xinjiang and W. Himalaya, Indian subcontinent, Vietnam to SE. Europe
Extant Range
Widespread distribution due to cultivation, Introduced to Western Europe, North Africa, and parts of North and South America
Conservation Status
Least Concern
¶ Etymology
What is the origin of this species name(s)?
From Latin Rubia ("madder (dye)") , from ruber("red").
From Latin tinctus, which refers to:
- impregnated with; dipped in
- treated
- coloured, tinged
The word madder is thought to come from the Middle English mader, which refers to a dye plant. This word is traced back to Proto-Indo-European *modʰro-
¶ Description
What is the physical description of this species?
The common madder can grow up to 1.5 m in height, however its sprawling habit means its foliage usually only reached 20 cm - 30 cm off the ground unless it is provided with a structure to climb. The evergreen leaves are approximately 5–10 cm long and 2–3 cm broad, produced in whorls of 4–7 starlike around the central stem. The central stem is short and stubby, usually between 3 cm - 5 cm, and has a series of buds on it that sprout to form the foliage. Some of these buds may remain dormant to serve as replacements if the main length of foliage is damaged or removed during its growing season.
When grown in areas with a cold winter, the above ground sections of the plant will die off when frost arrives. The stem may survive if properly winterized, but otherwise new stems will form during the folowing spring forming dense clusters.
It climbs with tiny hooks at the leaves and stems. The flowers are small (3–5 mm across), with five pale yellow petals, in dense racemes, and appear from June to August, followed by small (4–6 mm diameter) red to black berries.
The roots can be over a metre long, up to 12 mm thick and are the source of red dyes known as rose madder and Turkey red.
¶ Reproduction
How does this species typically reproduce?
This species can spread through its seeds but also spreads readily through its roots, which can result in dense patches of it.
¶ Habitat and Distribution
What is the habitat of this species? What is its native range? What is its extant range?
Madder is a fairly hearty plant once established, due to its deep root structure. It prefers to grow in full sun but can tolerate partial shade, and even moderate cold once established.
¶ Invasiveness Status
If this plant is known to demonstrate invasive behaviour, to what extent and in what regions?
While madder is generally not considered an invasive plant, except in Utah's Zion National Park, its cold hardiness and spreading roots mean it can exhibit aggressive behaviour. It should be treated similar to something like mint - not seriously invasive like Japanese Knotweed, but akin to something like mint. It is best grown in isolated beds or large containers if its spread is a concern to growers.
¶ Conservation Status
If this plant is subject to conservation efforts: where, why, and to what extent?
This plant is considered to be a species of least concern due to its hardy nature and widespread distribution.
¶ Modern Ecological Niche
What niche does this species fill in modern ecology?
Madder is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the hummingbird hawk moth.
¶ History
What is this species history?
Madder has a long history of use by human as a dye stock and to a lesser extent as a medicinal plant.
¶ Evolutionary History
What do we know about its evolutionary history?
¶ Human History
What is the known historic relationship between this plant and humans?
[insert research about the thousands of years of cultivation by humans here]
¶ Cultivation Details
¶ Propagation
What information do we have on how to propagate this species?
Information of how to effectively propagate madder is readily available.
¶ Sexual Reproduction
What information do we have on how to propagate this species by seed or spore?
Madder plants will typically produce berries in their second or third year, however the collective has been able to grow plants that produce large amounts of berries in the first year by planting into beds fed earlier in the year with compost and coffee chaff.
Madder can be readily grown from seed, though there is disagreement in the literature as to how easy it is to do so. Some sources describe madder as being difficult to germinate from seed while others describe it as "easy to propagate from seed".
Plants can be started from seed by germinating the berries fresh off the plant in the fall, which can be then planted out in the spring after being allowed to grow over the winter.
Otherwise plants can be started from seed in the spring by starting indoors 4 - 6 weeks before the last frost. Seeds show a signicant boost in germination rate and germination speed when allowed to soak in lukewarm water for 1 - 24 hours before being planted into trays.
Seeds may also be direcly sown into prepared beds.
¶ Asexual Reproduction
What information do we have on how to propagate this species by cutting or division?
After the first year madder plants can be divided in the spring once new stems have formed and transplanted to new sites.
¶ Growing Conditions
Madder grows best in full sun, but can tolerate partial shade.
It grows best in well-fed, well-drained garden soils which have had compost and/or manure mixed into them prior to planting.
If you are growing a plant with the intention of eventually harvesting its roots then it is best to also apply a scattering of lime to the soil, such as dolomitic lime, as this helps the plant to produce the deep red pigment in its roots.
¶ Planting
When planting out madder, plants should be spaced at least 60 cm (24 in) apart.
When the plant tops are about 30 - 45 cm (12 - 18 in) long you can bend them over and cover their leaf joints in soil. This encourages the plants to grow more roots, similar to how cane plants like raspberries and blackberries can grow.
Plants will risk dying off if they are allowed to dry out too much during their first year. If this happens, you can try and replace the plant to fill in any gaps that are left by them as long as it is not too late in the fall for them to establish themselves.
In areas with cold winters it can be best to trim back foliage of plant back to 10 cm short of the basal stem before covering them in a layer of insulating mulch. Straw mulch works best for this as its structure makes it less liable to become waterlogged and smother the plants if covered, but leaf mulch has also shown itself to be a viable substitute as long as growers ensure it isnt layered on so thick that it causes the space beneath it to become anerobic.
¶ Common Pests and Diseases
While madder is resistant to most common pests and diseases, it dislikes competition from weeds and so it is important to keep beds as weed free as possible.
Unfortunately the dense growth habit of mature madder beds can make this a frustrating task, which is why it is recommended to utilize raised beds or large containers when possible. Alternatively, you can train the foliage to climb a trellis or net to keep it off the ground, which makes both weeding and seed collection easier.
¶ Harvesting
Harvesting of madder roots can be done in the spring or fall.
If done in the spring the bases of plants can be saved to transplant into new areas or back into the same bed once it has been fed with compost after harvest.
If done in the fall it is important to save seeds as it is unlikely that the replanting methods available in the spring will be successful as even mature plants require months to re-establish themselves enough to survive winter temperatures in regions with freezing winter months.
Roots should be thuroughly washed to remove both dirt as well as the outer skin of mature roots, which often contains brown and dark orange dyes that prevent the effective extraction of the desirable red colours.
¶ Modern Applications
What are the ways that this species is currently worked with?
The main applications of madder in modern times is as a source of red dye for natural dyeing. This practice is most heavily utilized in regions that still retain a significant natural dyeing culture, such as India.
¶ Emerging Applications
Madders traditional use in medicine means that it is a promising candidate for the extraction of valuable compounds for medical applications.
¶ Collective Programming
What programs or projects is this species currently relevant to?
¶ See Also
¶ References
Dean, J., & Casselman, K. D. (2010). Wild Color, Revised and updated edition: The Complete Guide to Making and Using Natural Dyes. National Geographic Books.
Boutrup, J., & Ellis, C. (2018). The art and science of natural dyes: Principles, Experiments, and Results.
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