A low, scrambling, carpeting perennial with stems to 1.2m long, often rooting where they touch the ground, and bearing whorled linear green leaves, and terminal panicles of tiny 4-lobed yellow flowers in mid and late summer, scented of hay when dried.

Dye colour: Yellow, Pink, Orange

Dye source: Flowers, Roots

Flowering: June - September

Other common names: bed flower, cheese rennet, fenwort, hundredfold, maiden's hair, petty mugget, rennet weed.

How to extract the dyes: 

• Soak the dried flower heads in a pot filled with 4 litres of warm water for 30 minutes. 

• Heat the dye bath to +70 °C, well below the boiling point.  

• Adding one tablespoon of washing soda or 0.5-1 dl of wood ash lye can improve the colour extraction and modify the colour from brown to orange. 

• Steep the flowers for 30 minutes to extract dye.  

For more information about the dyeing process:

Natural dyes for education and colour experimentation