A stoloniferous, spreading perennial forming rosettes of 3-palmate leaves, bright green leaves with toothed leaflets. In late spring it bears cymes of white flowers that are followed by red fruit 1cm long.

Dye colour: Pink, Red, Beige

Dye source: Leaves, Stems

Flowering: April - July

Other common names: Alpine strawberry, mefus gwyllt.

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