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    List of Dye Yielding Plants for the Natural Dyer

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    This natural dyeing plant list is a compilation of plants and other organic materials that can be used for natural dyeing. Use this list as a guide to certain plants’ potential uses and outcomes. This compilation includes details on the following:

    • Latin names
    • Colors produced
    • Tutorial suggestions
    • Seed sources
    • And more

    Flowers, leaves, bark, roots, bugs, and kitchen scraps make beautiful colors.

    This is a growing compilation of resources and potential dye plants.

    Table of Contents

    What are dye plants?

    Natural dyeing is the art of taking organic materials, extracting color from those materials, and applying the color to fiber, yarn, or cloth.

    The color adheres to the fibers of the material you are dyeing, transforming it into a beautiful piece of art. 

    Natural dyes are somewhat unpredictable, and each one acts in unique ways.

    Some natural dyes are lightfast; they maintain their color even after prolonged exposure to sunlight. Some natural dyes are fugitive, meaning they will slowly fade over time.

    The joy of dyeing naturally comes from experimentation, the unknowns, and the crafting of a color. It is an art form that takes patience, diligence, a free spirit, and a sense of creativity and flexibility. 

    Plants are full of life and interest. Not only does a plant grow from a tiny little seed, but it helps to clean our air and develop fruits, veggies, or other eatables. For the natural dyer, it also opens a world of possibilities for color. 

    Where to buy dye plants?

    Some natural dyeing plants and products can be sourced from your kitchen cupboards, others on the roadside. Some are ordered as dried dye material from natural dyeing suppliers. And if you are ambitious and want to dive in, try planting some of your dye plants.

    I have compiled a list of my favorite resources for natural dyeing in Natural Dyeing Resources for the Modern Dyer. Check it out to find places to purchase your natural dyeing materials.

    Also included under some of the dye material profiles is a suggestion for where to source seeds for planting your dye plants and where to find a powdered or dried version of challenging-to-find products.

    Veins in a leaf. Dye yielding plants list.
    Some links below are referral links, meaning, at no extra cost to you, we earn a commission if you make a purchase. Thank you for supporting Jaunty Everywhere in this way! See our full disclosure statement.

    How to dye using plants

    Under each dye material profile, I have tried to include at least one tutorial on how to dye using that material.

    Some dyes are less common, and tutorials are hard to find; others are common, and there are many tutorials to choose from. I have included a few that I find helpful and include enough information to get you started.

    Also, check out Natural Dyeing: How to Make Beautiful Natural Dyes, an overview of natural dyeing, and the basic steps for creating natural dyes.

    A list of dye-yielding plants

    Each item on this list includes the following information if I could source it.

    • Latin name of the plant for easier identification
    • Potential color produced
    • Tutorial suggestions on how to dye with the plant
    • Source for raw dyestuff or powders
    • Source for seeds to grow the plant

    Use this information to pursue your natural dyeing experiments. Check out Textile Indie’s other Natural Dyeing resources for more details.

    Use the button below to download a printable list of dyeing materials.

    Printable Natural Dyeing Materials List

    Natural dye materials from the kitchen

    Avocado pits

    Latin name: Persea americana

    Color produced: pinkish tan

    Tutorials:

    Rebecca Desnos – Avocado Dye: FAQs / Top tips for pink

    Live Free Creative Co. – How to Dye with Avocado Pits

    Avocado skins

    Latin name: Persea americana

    Color produced: pinkish tan

    Avocado pits and skin for dyeing are arranged on a wooden table, a woman's hands hold a pile of avocado pits
    Avocado pits and skins.

    Beets

    Latin name: Beta vulgaris

    Color produced: Purplish brown

    Source for seeds: Territorial Seed Company

    Tutorials:

    Gage Hill Crafts – Dye Wool with Beets

    Viking Lady Aine – Beetroot…Not What You Might Expect

    Berries

    Color produced: range of pinks and purples (berries are not colorfast)

    Tutorials:

    Seamwork – Dyeing Fabric with Fruit

    Blackberries

    Latin name: Rubus fruticosus

    Color produced: purple

    Tutorials:

    Woodlark – DIY Natural Dyeing with Blackberries

    Black beans

    Latin name: Phaseolus vulgaris

    Color produced: purple

    Tutorials:

    Hooked and Dyed – Black Bean Dye

    A Polish Granddaughter – Natural Dyeing – In Search of Blue using Black Beans

    Solar dyeing with black beans:

    Knitbyahenshop – Natural dye tutorial: blue yarn from black beans!

    Black tea

    Latin name: Camellia sinensis

    Color produced: brown

    Tutorials:

    Textile Arts Center – Tutorial: Dying with Black Tea

    Rebecca Desnos – Painting with Milk and Dyeing with Tea

    Woodlark – DIY Natural Dyeing with Tea

    Coffee grounds

    Latin name: Coffea

    Color produced: brown

    Tutorials:

    The Spruce Crafts – How to Dye Clothes Tan or Brown with Coffee

    Carrot tops

    Latin name: Daucus carota subsp. sativus

    Color produced: light green

    Source for seeds: Territorial Seed Company

    Citrus peels

    Latin name: Citrus

    Color produced: pale yellow

    Cherries

    Color produced: pink

    Chamomile tea

    Latin name: Matricaria chamomilla

    Common name: German Chamomile

    Color produced: pale yellow, light tan

    Source for seeds: Territorial Seed Company

    Tutorials:

    Apple Oak Fibre Works – Chamomile Dye

    Hibiscus tea

    Latin name: Hibiscus rosa-sinensis

    Color produced: light pinks and purples

    Tutorials:

    MaRI Collective – Natural Dyeing with Hibiscus Using Alum as Modifier

    Peach pits

    Latin name: Prunus persica

    Color produced: pale yellow and tan

    Pomegranate

    Latin name: Punica granatum

    Color produced: tan

    Tutorials:

    Wild Colours – Dyeing with Pomegranate

    Folk Fibers – Natural Dyes: Pomegranates

    Red cabbage

    Latin name: Brassica oleracea var. capitata f. rubra

    Color produced: purples, pinks, and blues (red cabbage is not light and wash fast)

    Source for seeds: Territorial Seed Company

    Tutorials:

    Sew Historically – How to Dye Blue with Red Cabbage- Tutorial

    Red onion skins

    Latin name: Allium cepa

    Color produced: ranges from reddish tan and olive green when dipped in iron water

    Source for seeds: Territorial Seed Company

    Tutorials:

    Crafternoon Treats – Natural Dyeing with Onion Skins

    Little House on the Prairie – How to Create the Green Yarn from “Christmas at Plum Creek”

    Rebecca Desnos: Red Onion Skin Magic

    a woman holding a red onion, ready for natural dyeing. Red onions and onion skins are artfully arranged on a table
    Red onion skins dye a variety of colors depending on the process used.

    Rooibos tea

    Latin name: Aspalathus linearis

    Color produced: tan

    Tutorials:

    Natural Suburbia – Natural Wool Dyeing with Rooibos Tea

    Spinach

    Latin name: Spinacia oleracea

    Color produced: pale yellowy green

    Source for seeds: Territorial Seed Company

    Tutorials:

    Timber Creek Farm – Using Spinach Dye for Natural Wool Color

    Turmeric

    Latin name: Curcuma longa

    Color produced: bright yellow to orange

    Source: Amazon

    Tutorials:

    Kat Makes – Natural Dyeing Experiments: Turmeric Part 1

    Turmeric Australia – How to Make Turmeric Fabric Dye

    The PlantHunter – DIY: Dyeing with Turmeric

    Yellow onion skins

    Latin name: Allium cepa

    Color produced: deep yellow to tan

    Source for seeds: Territorial Seed Company

    Tutorials:

    Folk Fibers – Natural Dyes: Yellow Onion Skins

    It’s a Stitch Up – Natural Dyeing with Onion Skins

    a woman holding Yellow onions and onion skins used for natural dyeing, large yellow onion and more skins are arranged on a wooden table
    Yellow onion skins.

    Natural dye materials from the garden

    Calendula

    Latin name: Calendula officinalis

    Color produced: yellow

    Source for seeds: Territorial Seed Company

    Tutorials:

    Wingham Wool Work – Dye Calendula

    Kimberly Baxter Packwood – Notes on Natural Dyeing. Notes on how to dye with calendula at the end of the post.

    a womans hand holding Calendula flowers heads. orange calendula flowers and seed pods surround her hands and forearms
    Calendula flowers and seed pods.

    Daffodils

    Latin name: Narcissus

    Source for bulbs: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

    Tutorials:

    Wool Tribulations of Hand Spinning and Herbal Dyeing – A Trial of Daffodil Petal Dye

    Dahlia

    Latin name: Dahlia

    Color produced: tan

    Source for seeds: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

    Tutorials:

    Maker Gardener – Fabric Dyeing Using Dahlia and Alum Mordant

    Dandelion

    Latin name: Taraxacum

    Color produced: yellow to tan

    Tutorials:

    House Sparrow Fine Nesting – How to Dye with Dandelions | Natural Dye, Plant Dye, Bundle Dyeing, Eco Printing

    Elderberries

    Latin name: Sambucus nigra

    Color produced: brownish purple

    Source for seeds: Territorial Seed Company

    Tutorials:

    That Crafty Bitch: Plant Dyes Elderberry

    Eucalyptus leaves

    Latin name: Eucalyptus

    Color produced: range of colors depending on process

    Tutorials:

    Sally Blake – Eucalyptus dye database

    Rebecca Desnos – Triple bundle dyeing with eucalyptus leaves

    Fennel leaves

    Latin name: Foeniculum vulgare

    Color produced: yellow

    Source for seeds: Territorial Seed Company

    Tutorials:

    The Practical Herbalist – DIY Herbal Dyes: Fennel on Animal Fiber

    Hibiscus flower

    Latin name: Hibiscus rosa-sinensis

    Color produced: pale purples and pinks

    Ivy

    Latin name: Hedera helix

    Tutorials:

    Wool Tribulations of Hand Spinning and Herbal Dyeing – A Trial of Ivy Leaf Dye

    Lavender

    Latin name: Lavandula angustifolia

    Color produced: silver gray

    Source for seeds: Territorial Seed Company

    spikey Lavender flowers against a bright green background
    It is possible to dye a silvery gray with lavender.

    Mint

    Latin name: Mentha

    Color produced: pale yellow

    Source for seeds: Territorial Seed Company

    Tutorials:

    House Sparrow Fine Nesting – How to Dye with Mint | How to Make Green Gray Natural Dye, DIY Plant Dye Silver, Bundle Dyeing, Eco Printing, Experimenting with Natural Dye

    Rosemary

    Latin name: Salvia rosmarinus

    Color produced: gray to light brown

    Source for seeds or plants: Territorial Seed Company

    Tutorials:

    Cozy Homemaking – Rosmarinus Officinalis

    Thyme

    Latin name: Thymus vulgaris

    Source for seeds: Territorial Seed Company

    Yellow cosmos

    Latin name: Cosmos sulphureus

    Color produced: yellow

    Source for seeds: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

    Tutorials:

    Colour Cottage – Orange Cosmos Dye

    Plant a dyer garden

    Black-eyed Susan

    Latin name: Rudbeckia hirta

    Color produced: yellow

    Source for seeds: Botanical Colors

    Tutorials:

    Gage Hill Crafts – How to Dye Yarn with Black-Eyed Susan

    Black Magic Bachelor’s Button

    Latin name: Centaurea cyanus

    Source for seeds: Grand Prismatic Seeds

    Comfrey

    Latin name: Symphytum officinale

    Tutorials:

    Wool Tribulations of Hand Spinning and Herbal Dyeing – A Trial of Comfrey Plant Dye on Wool with Alum, Iron, and Copper Mordants

    Dyer’s Chamomile

    Latin name: Cota tinctoria

    Source for seeds: Grand Prismatic Seeds

    Tutorials:

    Apple Oak Fibre Works – Chamomile Dye

    Dyer’s Coreopsis

    Latin name: Coreopsis tinctoria

    Color produced: yellow to beige

    Source for seeds: Botanical Colors

    Tutorials:

    Wild Colours – Dyers Coreopsis

    Woollenflower – Dyeing with Dyer’s Coreopsis

    All Natural Dyeing – Coreopsis Dye

    Fustic

    Latin name: Maclura tinctoria

    Tutorials:

    Wild Colours – Dyeing with Fustic

    A Polish Granddaughter – Natural Dyeing – Fustic and some extras

    Goldenrod

    Latin name: Solidago

    Color produced: yellow

    Tutorials:

    Wild Colours – Goldenrod

    Salt in My Coffee – Dyeing with Goldenrod

    Gorse

    Latin name: Ulex

    Gypsywort

    Latin name: Lycopus europaeus

    Source for seeds: Grand Prismatic Seed

    Hollyhock

    Latin name: Alcea rosea ‘Nigra

    Source for seeds: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

    Tutorials:

    Gage Hill Crafts – Dyeing Wool with Black Hollyhocks: Blue Made Easy

    Verdant Textiles – Dyeing with Hollyhock (Alcea rosea) Petals

    Hopi Sunflower

    Latin name: Helianthus annuus

    Source for seeds: Grand Prismatic Seed

    Tutorial:

    Native Seeds – Hopi Black Dye Sunflower

    Ironweed

    Latin name: Vernonia

    Japanese Indigo leaves

    Latin name: Persicaria tinctoria

    Color produced: blue to teal

    Source for seeds: Botanical Colors

    Tutorials:

    Rebecca Desnos – Fresh leaf indigo dyeing – the salt rub method

    Madderlane – Fresh Leaf Indigo Dyeing – Salt Method

    Lady’s bedstraw

    Latin name: Galium verum

    Madder

    Latin name: Rubia tinctorum

    Color produced: deep red to pink

    Source for seeds: Botanical Colors

    Tutorials:

    Botanical Colors – Madder Root Instructions

    Marigold

    Latin name: Tagetes

    Source for seeds: Territorial Seed Company

    Source for raw materials: Botanical Colors

    Tutorials:

    Garden Therapy – Natural Flower Dye for Fabric: How to Create a Marigold-Dyed Scarf

    Pincushion Flower

    Latin name: Scabiosa atropurpurea

    Alternate name: Black Night Scabiosa

    Source for seeds: Grand Prismatic Seed

    Tutorials:

    The Dogwood Dyer: Natural Dye Plants. Find a short description of how to grow and the dyeing process at the end of the post.

    Rhubarb

    Latin name: Rheum rhabarbarum

    Source for seeds: Territorial Seed Company

    Tutorials:

    Wild Colours – Rhubarb

    Donna Kallner Fiber Art – Natural Dyes: Rhubarb Leaves and Bark Extracts

    Safflower

    Latin name: Carthamus tinctorius

    Source for seeds: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

    Source for raw materials: Botanical Colors

    Tutorials:

    Wild Colours – Dyeing with Safflower

    St. John’s Wort

    Latin name: Hypericum perforatum

    Source for seeds: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

    Sunflower

    Latin name: Helianthus annuus

    Source for seeds: Territorial Seed Company

    Tansy

    Latin name: Tanacetum vulgare

    Source for seeds: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

    Tutorials:

    Gage Hill Craft – Dye wool with Tansy Using These Easy Steps

    Weld

    Latin name: Reseda luteola

    Color produced: yellow

    Source for seeds: Botanical Colors

    Tutorials:

    Local Color Dyes – Growing Weld

    Wool Tribulations of Hand Spinning and Herbal Dyeing – Making Weld Dye from the Plant to the Wool

    Woad

    Latin name: Isatis tinctoria

    Color produced: blue

    Tutorials:

    All Natural Dyeing – Woad Dye: Isatia Tinctoria

    Local Color Dye – Dyeing with Woad

    Wearing Woad – Dyeing with Woad: 5 Tips for Maximum Dye Yield

    Yarrow

    Latin name: Achillea millefolium

    Source for seeds: Territorial Seed Company

    Tutorials:

    Local Color Dyes – Yarrow (Achillea)

    Natural dye materials gathered

    Acorns

    Latin name: Quercus

    Color produced: tan to dark brown when dipped in iron water

    Tutorials:

    Acre – Acorn Dye

    Thicket – DIY Natural Acorn Dye

    Spindles in the Wild – Natural Dyeing with Acorns

    Acorns and leaves scattered across a wooden table, a woman's hands hold a pile of acorns
    Acorns and oak leaves.

    Alder cones

    Latin name: Alnus

    Color produced: brown

    Tutorials:

    Rebecca Desnos – Dyeing with Alder Cones

    Birch bark

    Latin name: Betula

    Color produced: brown

    Blackberries

    Latin name: Rubus fruticosus

    Color produced: purples

    Tutorials:

    Lynda Heines Fabric Desing – Dyeing with Blackberries

    Hooked and Dyed: Dyeing with Blackberries

    Blackthorn

    Latin name: Prunus spinosa

    Bracken

    Latin name: Pteridium aquilinum

    Color produced: pale yellows to pale greens

    Tutorials:

    Jenny Dean’s Wild Colour – Dyeing with Bracken

    Dances with Wools – Natural Dyeing: Bracken Fern

    Copper beech

    Latin name: Fagus sylvatica

    Elderberries

    Latin name: Sambucus

    Color produced: brownish purple

    Tutorials:

    The Bohemian Wife – Dyeing Wool with Elderberry

    Garden sorrel

    Latin name: Rumex acetosa

    Hawthorne

    Latin name: Crataegus

    Tutorials:

    Wool Tribulations of Hand Spinning and Herbal Dyeing – Dyeing Wool with Hawthorn Flowers and Leaves

    Heather

    Latin name: Calluna vulgaris

    Tutorials:

    The Easy Blues – Natural Dyeing: Heather

    Horse chestnut husks

    Latin name: Aesculus hippocastanum

    Color produced: brownish purple, grey, or light tan depending on mordants

    Tutorials:

    February Twelve – Natural Dyeing: Horse Chestnut Husks

    A woman's hands holding horse chestnuts with spiky horse chestnut hulls on a wooden table
    Horse chestnut husks are great for making natural dye, and the chestnuts can be processed into laundry detergent.

    Mountain ash

    Latin name: Sorbus

    Nettles

    Latin name: Urtica dioica

    Color produced: gray-green

    Source for seeds: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

    Tutorials:

    Rebecca Desnos – Dyeing with Nettles

    Oak galls

    Latin name:

    Rose hips

    Latin name: Rosa canina

    Tutorials:

    Kimberly Baxter Packwood – Notes on Natural Dyeing

    Walnuts

    Latin name: Juglans

    Color produced: brown

    Tutorials:

    Natural Dye: Experiments and Results – Black Walnut Season

    Botanical Colors – Walnut Powder Instructions

    Flora and Fiber – Let’s Dye… Black Walnut

    A womans hands holding a pile of walnuts, with more walnuts on a wood table top
    Walnuts are a classic natural dye material.

    Willow

    Latin name: Salix

    Natural dye powders and extracts

    Alkanet

    Latin name: Alkanna tinctoria

    Color produced: blackish-purple

    Tutorials:

    Wild Colours – Alkanet

    Jenny Dean’s Wild Colour – Alkanet Root

    Buckthorn

    Latin name: Rhamnus

    Tutorials:

    Spin Off – Dyeing with Buckthorn

    Cochineal

    Latin name: Dactylopius coccus

    Color produced: brilliant pink to light pink

    Source for raw material: Botanical Colors

    Tutorials:

    Botanical Colors – Cochineal Insect Instructions

    Wild Colours – Dyeing with Cochineal

    Cutch

    Latin name: Senegalia catechu

    Tutorials:

    The Maiwa Blog – Natural Dyes: Cutch

    Wild Colours – Dyeing with Cutch

    Henna

    Latin name: Lawsonia inermis

    Indigo

    Latin name: Persicaria tinctoria

    Color produced: range of blues

    Tutorials:

    Dear Handmade Life – DIY Indigo Dyeing: The Straightforward Guide to Supplies, Measurements, and Instructions

    Graham Keegan – More than All You Need to Know to Make Your Own Indigo Dye Vat

    Wild Colours – Indigo the Blue Dye

    Logwood

    Color produced: dark purple to gray

    Source for raw materials: Botanical Colors

    Latin name: Haematoxylum campechianum

    Tutorials:

    Botanical Colors – Logwood Chip Instructions

    Wild Colours – Dyeing with Logwood

    Madder

    Latin name: Rubia tinctorum

    Color produced: red to shades of pink

    Source for raw materials: Botanical Colors

    Source for seeds: Botanical Colors

    Tutorials:

    Botanical Colors – Madder Root Instructions

    Wild Colours – Dyeing with Madder Root

    Gage Hill Crafts – Dye Wool With Madder

    Jenny Dean’s Wild Colour – Dyeing with Madder

    Osage orange

    Latin name: Maclura pomifera

    Color produced: yellow to orange

    Source for raw materials: Botanical Colors

    Tutorials:

    Folk Fibers – Natural Dyes: Osage Orange

    Fiber Farm – Natural Dye Recipe: Osage Orange

    Quebracho

    Latin name: Schinopsis balansae

    Tutorials:

    Wild Colours – Quebracho Extract

    Printable Natural Dyeing Materials List

    Natural dye materials by color produced

    Blue dyes

    • Black beans
    • Japanese indigo
    • Woad

    Green dyes

    • Bracken
    • Nettles
    • Red onion skins with iron

    Red dyes

    • Madder root

    Pink and peach dyes

    • Avocado pits and skins
    • Beets
    • Berries
    • Cherries
    • Hibiscus tea
    • Red cabbage
    • Madder root (diluted)

    Yellow dyes

    • Carrot tops
    • Citrus peel
    • Chamomile tea
    • Dandelion
    • Dyer’s Chamomile
    • Dyer’s coreopsis
    • Goldenrod
    • Osage orange
    • Spinach
    • Turmeric
    • Weld
    • Yellow cosmos

    Orange dyes

    • Red onion
    • Osage orange
    • Yellow onion

    Purple dyes

    • Blackberries
    • Elderberries
    • Logwood
    • Red cabbage

    Brown and tan dyes

    • Acorns
    • Alder cones
    • Birch bark
    • Coffee grounds
    • Daffodils
    • Dahlia
    • Pomegranate rind
    • Red onion skins
    • Rooibos tea
    • Walnuts
    A close up of brown acorns used in natural dyeing projects
    Acorns ready for dyeing.

    Black and gray dyes

    • Acorns with iron
    • Black tea
    • Lavender
    • Mint This post contains affiliate links. I could be an affiliate for many different products, but I chose these specifically because they are the products and brands I like and recommend. By using my links, you help support this website.
    • Nettles
    • Rosemary
    • Thyme
    • Walnuts with iron

    For more natural dyeing resources, see:

    Natural Dyeing Resources for the Natural Dyer.

    Natural Dyeing Glossary: Terminology for Natural Dyers