Morinda Citrifolia

(Glossary Term)

(Mengkudu in Indonesian, Engkudu Iban) an important red dye, used throughout the Indonesian archipelago, producing shades ranging from red-browns to true reds on cotton fibers. Morinda is used in combination with oil-based mordants, and the mordanting and dyeing process must be repeated, often ten to twenty times, to build up dark, rich shades. It is rarely used on silk since it tends to produce an unattractive brown shade on this fiber. Silk is usually dyed with sappanwood or lac to produce shades of red.