Morindone
A red dye from the roots of Morinda plants, mainly grown in India
No single value: Morindone is a material, and its colour varies. The background shows its family, red.
Morindone is a red dye made from the root bark of Morinda species, especially Morinda tinctoria. It produces colours ranging from red to dusky shades depending on the mordant used, and is mainly cultivated in India for textile dyeing.
- Morindone is extracted from Morinda tinctoria roots
- Mainly used as a textile dye in India
- Colour varies with mordant: red with aluminium, dusky with iron or chromium
- Morindone is less lightfast than modern dyes
What colour is Morindone?
Morindone is a plant-based dye that gives a red colour, sometimes shifting to duskier tones depending on how it is fixed to fabric. It is extracted from the roots of Morinda tinctoria and related species. The dye stands out for its intense red when used with aluminium-based mordants, but can appear more muted with iron or chromium. Its use is mainly in dyeing textiles.
Where does Morindone come from?
The name morindone comes from the Morinda genus of plants, with Morinda tinctoria being the main source. This plant is widely cultivated in India for dye production. The process of making morindone has been known for some time, but the exact date of its first use is not recorded in the sources.
How is Morindone made?
To obtain morindone, the root bark of young Morinda tinctoria plants is first boiled in alcohol, producing a yellowish substance called morindin. This can be used as a dye itself, but further heating causes hydrolysis, removing glucose and leaving behind red morindone crystals. The content of dye in the roots is highest after two to three years of growth.
Where Morindone is used
Morindone is mainly used to dye textiles. The final colour depends on the mordant, a substance that helps fix the dye to the fabric. Aluminium mordants create a red shade, while iron and chromium give duskier colours. In Java, a traditional mordant from jirak bark is used. Morindone is less stable and fast than modern dyes, but is still valued for its plant origin and ease of cultivation.
Red around the world
What the red family means from country to country.
Many Hindu brides marry in a red sari or lehenga. In much of north India a married woman wears sindoor, a red powder, along the parting of her hair.
Weddings and marriageLuck and prosperityJoyLoveSource: SindoorThe flag uses the four Pan-Arab colours: a red bar at the hoist with green, white and black bands. It was designed by a young Emirati, Abdullah Al Maainah, in 1971.
Politics and protestPrideSource: Flag of the United Arab EmiratesThe flag is a black double-headed eagle on red, the banner of the fifteenth-century hero Skanderbeg. Fans chant Kuq e Zi, red and black.
Politics and protestPrideSource: Flag of AlbaniaArmenian scribes painted manuscripts with vordan karmir, a crimson dye made from an insect that lives on the roots of grasses in the Ararat plain.
Sacred and holySource: Armenian cochinealUnder Juan Manuel de Rosas in the 1830s and 1840s, everyone had to wear a scarlet ribbon to show loyalty to his Federalist party. His enemies, the Unitarians, were tied to sky blue.
Politics and protestFearSource: Juan Manuel de RosasThe flag is red, white and red. Legend says Duke Leopold V's white tunic was soaked in blood at the siege of Acre, all but the band under his belt.
Politics and protestCourageSource: Flag of AustriaShades and relatives of Morindone
Morindin, a yellowish dye from the same roots, is a precursor to morindone and can also be used for dyeing. The colour of morindone-dyed fabric changes based on the mordant, ranging from bright red to more muted, dusky tones.
Questions people ask about Morindone
What colour is morindone?
Morindone is a red dye, but the exact shade can vary from bright red to dusky, depending on which mordant is used to fix it to fabric.
Where does the name morindone come from?
The name comes from the Morinda genus of plants, especially Morinda tinctoria, which is the main source of this dye.
How is morindone made?
It is made by boiling the root bark of Morinda tinctoria in alcohol to get morindin, then heating further to produce red morindone crystals.
What is morindone used for?
Its principal use is as a dye for textiles, especially in India, where the plant is widely grown for this purpose.
Is morindone a stable dye?
Compared to modern synthetic dyes, morindone is less fast and less stable, but it is still valued for being plant-based and easy to cultivate.
Good reading and sources
- Morindone on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More pictures on Wikimedia CommonsPictures
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Morindone", 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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