Chrozophoridin
The blue-purple dye compound from the fruit of Chrozophora tinctoria
No single value: Chrozophoridin is a material, and its colour varies. The background shows its family, purple and violet.
Chrozophoridin is a dye chemical extracted from the fruit of the Chrozophora tinctoria plant. It gives a blue to purple colour, once known as turnsole or folium, and was used in medieval manuscripts, food, and textiles across the Mediterranean and Asia.
- Extracted from Chrozophora tinctoria fruit and sap
- Known as turnsole or folium in medieval Europe
- Used for blue-purple colours in manuscripts and food
- Shade changes with ammonia exposure
- Traditional dye in the Levant and Asia
What colour is Chrozophoridin?
Chrozophoridin is a natural dye compound that produces a blue to purple colour. It is obtained from the fruit and sap of the Chrozophora tinctoria plant, which grows in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and parts of Asia. The dye can shift in shade from blue to purple depending on how it is processed. This colourant stands out for its historical use in illuminated manuscripts and food, giving a distinctive blue-purple hue.
Where does Chrozophoridin come from?
The name chrozophoridin comes from its source plant, Chrozophora tinctoria, known as dyer's croton. The plant has been used for dyeing in the Mediterranean and Asia for centuries. The blue-purple dye, also called turnsole or folium, was valued in medieval Europe for manuscript art and food colouring. Its use in textiles was widespread in the Levant.
How is Chrozophoridin made?
Chrozophoridin is extracted from the dry outer coat of the fruit or the sap of Chrozophora tinctoria. The sap is collected when leaves are broken and exposed to air. The dye's shade can be altered by exposing the juice to ammonia vapours, which was sometimes done using horse manure and urine. Large amounts of plant material are needed to produce enough dye for textiles.
Where Chrozophoridin is used
This dye was used in medieval illuminated manuscripts, giving blue and purple tones to art. It also coloured Dutch cheese and some liquors. In the Levant, it was a traditional dye for clothing. The dye's ability to produce different shades made it valued for both artistic and practical uses.
Purple around the world
What the purple and violet family means from country to country.
In Holy Week, members of religious brotherhoods walk in procession in robes and pointed hoods, many of them purple, the colour of penance. A purple band also marked the flag of the Second Republic.
Sacred and holyPolitics and protestSource: Holy Week in SpainSuffragettes campaigning for women's votes wore purple, white and green: purple for dignity, white for purity and green for hope.
Politics and protestCourageSource: SuffragetteA child born to a reigning Byzantine emperor was called porphyrogennetos, born in the purple. The birth took place in a palace room lined with purple stone.
Royalty and powerAweSource: Born in the purpleIn the elections of 2005, voters dipped a finger in purple ink to prevent double voting. The stained finger, held up for cameras, became a sign of the vote.
Politics and protestPrideSource: Election inkPurple dye from the murasaki plant was costly and hard to make. In the court rank system set up under Prince Shotoku, the highest officials wore purple caps.
Royalty and powerAweSource: Twelve Level Cap and Rank SystemThe Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon made Tyrian purple from sea snails. The dye was so costly that it became the colour of kings and Roman emperors.
Royalty and powerAweSource: Tyrian purpleShades and relatives of Chrozophoridin
The dye can yield a range of blue and purple shades, depending on exposure to ammonia vapours and processing methods. It is also known as turnsole, katasol, or folium. These names refer to the same plant-derived colourant, sometimes confused with other blue or purple dyes from different sources.
Questions people ask about Chrozophoridin
What colour does chrozophoridin produce?
Chrozophoridin gives a blue to purple colour, with the exact shade depending on how it is processed and exposed to ammonia vapours.
Where does the name chrozophoridin come from?
The name comes from the plant Chrozophora tinctoria, which is the source of this dye compound.
What was chrozophoridin used for?
It was used to dye textiles, colour food such as Dutch cheese and liquors, and in medieval illuminated manuscripts for blue and purple hues.
How is chrozophoridin made?
It is extracted from the fruit's dry outer coat or the sap of Chrozophora tinctoria, sometimes with the shade changed by exposing the extract to ammonia vapours.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Chrozophoridin", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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