Madder is a group of plants that were once commonly grown in Europe and Asia for use in making dyes. The madder has rough, prickly leaves and small greenish-yellow flowers. The fruit is black. The roots of the madder produce coloring extracts, such as alizarin and purpurin, that manufacturers can use to make dyes. These extracts are treated with a chemical solution to produce colors ranging from pink and red to yellow, purple, and brown. A madder that grows in the eastern Mediterranean region produces a dye called Turkey-red. People in ancient Egypt used Turkey-red dye for burial wrappings. Dyes made from madder have largely been replaced by synthetic dyes.
