Common Name:

General Information

Miscanthus tinctorius is a perennial grass, producing a clump of culms from a shorly rhizomatous rootstock; the culms are around 60 - 150cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a dye. It has been used as a source of dyes since at least the 5th century BCE[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - Japan (Honshu)

Habitat

Mountain slopes, meadows and uncultivated places[].

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	1.00 m
Pollinators	Wind
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Miscanthus tinctorius is a plant of temperate Japan and is frost hardy[].
Prefers fresh to moist soils of loamy-sandy type and a semi-shaded exposure[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

A dye obtained from the fresh stems and leaves can give a bright yellow. It is used for dyeing clothes, paper etc. When mixed with other colorus, mustard yellow to moss green can be obtained[]. It is often used in combination with indigo, especially that obtained from Polygonum tinctorium, to get greens[].
The stems are harvested at the end of summer when the ears are formed. The stems are mowed and collected in stacks which are left to dry until winter. They are dried quickly before they could be stained by impurities from water or the soil[].
To prepare the dye, the stems and leaves are boiled. After filtration of the colour, the items to be dyed are immersed in the bath and then placed in an alkaline bath (camellia ash lye in particular) to get a very intense yellow. With alum mordant colour tends to be green[].
The colour has a low fading resistance to light, in particular when the mordant used is alum[]. The main active components are flavones, particularly luteolin or luteolol and arthraxin[]..

Propagation

Seed -