Posts Tagged ‘dyestuff’
Phytolacca icosandra - Tropical Pokeweed
Posted by: The Lorax in: ● June 30, 2008
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Phytolacca, growing near the Reserva Ecologica Alto Choco, Imbabura Province. Pokeweeds are fairly common all over the world, and most notable in the Southern United States, where they are considered a vegetable. The species common to Ecuador grows as a low shrub in most parts of the country, producing its distinctive fuchsia coloured blooms year-round. Propagation is by seed or cutting, and the plant has the tendency to become invasive.
Pokeweed contains high concentrations of a pair of toxins, collectively called phytolaccatoxins, which are harmful to mammals. However, by repeated boiling these toxins can be removed from the leaves, to yield the dish called Poke Salad. This is not a common thing in Ecuador, however, as many more edible plants are available. Topically, the juice of the leaves is a folk remedy for acne, and grated root can be used to reduce inflammation. The berries of Pokeweed yeild a strong red dye that requires no mordant but will fade to a rusty brown over time. Fixing the dye with alum helps it retain its strong red tint. Concentrated pokeberry dye can be used as ink.
Solanum betaceum - Tomate de Arbol
Posted by: The Lorax in: ● June 1, 2008
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Tomate de Arbol, growing somewhere in Ecuador. I forget where; Tomate grow in all biomes and areas of Ecuador. Tomate de Arbol are shrubs to small trees native to the Andes. They have broad, slightly hairy leaves and bear their flowers in pendant clusters. Egg-shaped and roughly egg-sized fruits follow, which ripen to red or yellow. Tomates, due to their shallow root system, are susceptible to wind damage and can actually be blown right out of the ground in strong storms. Propagation is by seed or more commonly by woody cutting; the shrub prefers free-draining soils and full sun, but requires abundant water.
Tomates, also called Tamarillos or Tree Tomatoes, are edible; many Andeans say that their flavour is superior to “conventional” tomatos. The skin is tough and the Tomate must be peeled before eating, but it can be eaten raw and in the South of Ecuador is a common fruit for snacking out-of-hand. The easiest way to eat a Tomate is to simply bite a hole in the skin and squeeze the flesh into your mouth. Two cultivars exist - red skinned fruits and yellow skinned fruits; the more common of the two in Ecuador is the red-skinned variety. Tomate are considered a “swing” fruit - that is, they are added to both savoury main courses (often in place of conventional tomatos) and eaten as a sweet dessert. The most notable of these dishes is whole peeled Tomate stewed in cinnamon syrup with cloves.
The red jelly surrounding the seeds of some Tomates (not all) is a strong dye that retains its burgundy character when set with vinegar; the peels of either variety yield a saffron-yellow dye that mordants well with alum.
