Growing up to 2.5m in height, it is the large, leathery leaves for which Gunnera is best known. However, the fresh or dried roots can be heated with iron sulphate mordant to produce a tannin-based black dye. In 1845, Charles Darwin reported that the roots of a related species, G. tinctoria, were used to tan leather and prepare a black dye by the inhabitants of Tranqui island in southern Chile. The species epithets tinctoria, tinctorius and tinctorum (from Latin tingere ‘to wet, soak, dip’) indicate that a plant is used in dyeing.
Next: Malvaviscus arboreus (Sleepy Mallow)
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