Madder

Madder is the common name for several plants of the genus Rubia, especially R. tinctorum and R. cordifolia, which were both cultivated as dye plants until modern times.

The species are native to various parts of Eurasia and can grown in most temperate climates, as long as they are not extremely arid.

The dye produced from the roots is known as alizarin. Alizarin was first manufactured synthetically in the 1860s, and since then use of the synthetic version has removed the need for the madder plants to be cultivated on a large scale.