A dwarf evergreen shrub with narrow, silvery-woolly, much dissected leaves and long-stalked, button-like bright yellow flowerheads 2cm in width.

Dye colour: Yellow

Dye source: Flower

Flowering: July - August

Other common names: lavender cotton, cotton lavender, French lavender, ground cypress, Santolina incana, Chamaecyparissus africanus.

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