Logwood

"The Logwood' tree (Haematoxylum campechianum) was once an important source of red dye. The tree's scientific name means 'bloodwood' ('haima' being Greek for 'blood' and 'xulon' Greek for wood) from the Campeche region of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. The Logwood grows throughout Central America. It led to the founding of the modern nation of Belize, which grew from British logging camps of

the 17th century. It is still an important source of haematoxylin, used in histology for staining." 1

1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logwood

October 8, 2007

FOCUS

LOGWOOD

Logwood was one of many natural dyes that gave various colors during the 19th century. This week's "Focus" is on the history of logwood and its usage in dyeing.

Picture 1.
Logwood plant

Logwood is not considered to be colorfast because it can not hold its color very well. It fades when exposes to light. However, with the proper mordant, logwood should hold its color for a minimum of one season.

Logwood can be utilized to make many different color variations, such as: blue purple, red puple, blue grey, and grey to black by combining logwood dye with different mordants.

Below are the color variations using logwood with different mordant:
- Chome mordant creates blue grey color.
- Iron mordant creates grey to black color.
- Tin mordant create red purple color
- Alum mordant create blue purple.

by Fenny Hanes