Madder
Madder, a perennial herb native to the warmer parts of Europe and Asia. Common madder is a spreading plant about four feet (1.2 m) high. Its long, prickly leaves grow in whorls of four to six. The greenish-yellow flowers are succeeded by black berries. The fleshy, reddish roots of common madder were formerly used for making the dye alizarin. “Turkey red,” the historic scarlet of British and French military uniforms, was produced by the chemical treatment of alizarin. Natural madder dyes have been replaced by synthetic pigments.
Madders make up the genus Rubia of the family Rubiaceae. Common madder is R. tinctorum. Other species include wild madder (R. peregrina) and Indian madder (R. cordifolia).