Dye potential of the native plants of the steppe, Dto. Escalante, Chubut, Patagonia (Argentine).

Abstract

Introduction: In the present times, natural dyes become important for their safety, durability and environmental conservation. They give regional identity to any project of an artisanal nature where plants are used for dyeing. This paper studies the dyeing potential on merino wool fiber of native plants of the Patagonian steppe.

M&M: The dyeing plant material collection area was limited to the southeast zone of Chubut, corresponding to the Floristic District of the Gulf San Jorge. The mother recipe was applied to obtain the dye and three types of procedures were developed: pre-mordant, direct mordant and post-mordant, depending on the moment of application of the alum. Sodium bicarbonate and iron sulfate colour modifiers were used. Using the universal table of the Munsell (Color, 2009) system, the tone, lightness and saturation were studied.

Results: 50 native species of the Patagonian Region were studied. In its totality the following proportion was obtained: brown 37%, yellow 35%, olive 14%, gray 10%, pink 2% and green 2%. 9 species of higher chromatic saturation stand out. The most saturated colours are obtained during the pre-mordent process. The best represented families are Fabaceae and Asteraceae.

Conclusions:  From the analysis of the literature on plants used for natural dyes in Argentina, it appears that numerous species studied in the present research have no antecedents and turn out to be promising, providing intense colours with high saturations. We can consider them true discoveries and suggest them with high dye potential for merino wool fiber.