Finding Seeds and Growing Alkanet, a Natural Purple Dye (Alkanna tinctoria)
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A story of finding seeds and growing alkanet. Alkanna tinctoria roots are common and used to naturally tint soap, food but the plant remains a mystery
As a producer of natural beauty products, I mainly use plant extracts to infuse color. I use natural colors because they are much safer for all skin types and produce the loveliest natural tones that anyone could ask for. In cold-process soap, I can achieve pinks with madder root, blue with woad, yellow from goldenrod and calendula, caramel from honey, beige with peppermint, and purple with alkanet. Most of these plants grow in my garden at home, but alkanet has been difficult for me to find. I had to scour the internet for a month before finding a lead on some seeds.
No One Seems to Grow Dyers Alkanet
The first stop to trying to find alkanet was in speaking to the folks at Wild Colours. This is where my current batch of alkanet root came from, and I thought to ring and see if they’d be able to sell me some seeds. It turns out the lady who runs the business, Teresinha Roberts, has been after some seeds for some time. They’re extremely difficult to find, and it’s almost impossible to actually speak to the growers of commercially farmed alkanet in southern France. Our email conversation ended with me letting her know that I’ll pass on some seeds to her if I’m able to find any.
Finding a Source in the USA
After that, I called every major seed distributor in the UK, but they could only source common alkanet. This plant looks similar to dyers alkanet and can even be used in dyeing, but it doesn’t have alkanna tinctoria’s deep purple color. After those calls, I occasionally went onto Google to see if I’d have any luck. I was at the point of giving up when I came across an old post for a dyers workshop run by a Ms. D in the USA. The post mentioned that she grew her own dye plants and that alkanet was to be used in her course. I found out that she does indeed grow alkanet and’d be more than happy to send me some seeds.
Alkanna Tinctoria Seeds
A small packet arrived for me at the end of May, and I immediately set to sowing them. Ms. D said that they have about a 20% germination rate and grow in conditions similar to their cousin, borage. I was relieved since I have tons of borage sprouting like weeds in my garden. I think I’d have been a bit more nervous if it had been any more difficult to grow. It really took some intense detective work to find them in the first place.
If you’re looking for seeds yourself, an online shop called Strictly Medicinal Seeds has supplied them in the past. However, they always seem ‘out of stock,’ and after enquiring, it seems that the plants they have grown haven’t done very well. That was in 2019, and I’ve not seen them for sale on their site since. Alkanet is also sometimes listed as Ratan Jot (though technically, that’s a different plant), and there are some bulk suppliers from India. It seems that most of the alkanet produced in the world comes from that region now.
Good Germination Rate
Alkanet needs warm conditions to grow, so I plan to plant undercover. Fortunately, I had a really positive germination rate, and thirteen of the thirty seeds I started with sprouted. That’s nearly half of them that made it. Since then, I’ve let them grow in the seed tray until they put out two true leaves before planting them up into individual modules.
Growing Alkanet Seedlings
It’s quite late for these seedlings to be grown from seed, but with luck and protection, I believe I can keep them going before planting them out in their final positions next year. As a perennial, they prefer warm sandy soil with more of a neutral or even alkaline pH and will be able to survive temperatures as low as -10°C.
Though the plants will form rosettes of leaves in the first year, I’ll need to harvest the roots, which are what you use for dyeing, just before the plant flowers in the second year. I still need to find out exactly how I need to harvest them, but I’m sure Ms. D will help me with that information.
Using dried alkanet in soap
If you buy Dyer’s alkanet, the dried roots that arrive should be a deep and dark purple. If they’re not very purple and more of a dark brownish-red, it may be that you have been sent Ratanjot (Onosma echioides). It’s used in Indian cooking, and the internet seems determined to convince everyone that it’s the same thing as Dyer’s alkanet (Alkanna tinctoria). They’re different plants, though, and Ratanjot will not give you deep purple soap. I know this from disappointed experience.
If you have true Dyer’s alkanet, you can infuse the dried roots in a carrier oil to extract the color. At the moment, I have a large glass of olive oil sitting in my kitchen window doing this very thing. Over a period of about a month, the color of the oil will transform into a beautiful and vibrant red, and you can use the strained oil in soap recipes, such as this lavender soap recipe.
Alkanet in Food
Dyer’s alkanet is also a traditional food dye, but it contains alkaloids that make it unsafe to eat. That’s why you shouldn’t use it to tint lip balm or any other product that you might ingest. In the past, it was used to naturally dye the Indian dish Rogan Josh and inferior port wine to give it a better color. However, the main use for alkanet these days is in the natural dyeing of wool and cloth. The colors achieved can range from soft lavender to rich purple to even reds and greys. The final color apparently depends on the technique you use to extract the color, with one soaking alkanet root in rubbing alcohol.
Growing Alkanet Seedlings
My alkanet seedlings are still small, but I have high hopes for them. One of my goals is to grow all of my own cosmetic botanicals. Alkanet always seemed to be the one that I might not be able to have. Without small producers like Ms. D, I’m sure I might never have had the opportunity to grow it. It seems that we have to increasingly rely on our gardener friends and neighbors across the world to preserve and share lesser-known and traditional plants. All I can say is thank goodness we’ve got the internet to connect us and help in the sharing.
Update on the Alkanet Seedlings
I’ve had a lot of people contact me for alkanet seeds and seedlings over the years, and I have finally updated this piece. Unfortunately, the seedlings grew for some time but then failed. I’ve since learned that Dyer’s alkanet is not a fan of cool, damp climates like mine, and I’ve yet to try growing them again. I probably won’t because my climate would make it difficult to give them the environment they need. They thrive in dry, sandy soil, with hot summers, and cool winters. Alkanna tinctoria grows wild in Greece, the south of France, Bulgaria and into the northern parts of the Middle East and India.
Hi, I’m in Australia and alkanet seeds are quite easy and cheap to obtain. I grow mine in between my borage.
The type of alkanet you grow may be different to the type used for natural dyeing. There are several plants called “alkanet” but only one that yields the rich purple dye. I see that Anchusa officinalis and green alkanet (Pentaglottis sempervirens) is quite common in Australia and wonder if that’s what you grow.
I realize this is an older post, but if anyone’s interested, I was able to purchase gromwell seeds that give the ‘murasaki’ purple color from Grand Prismatic Seed. I grew them this summer in Connecticut, zone 6a. The color molecule from gromwell is shikonin which is very similar (enantiomer) to the molecule in alkannet, alkannin. I’m doing a water extraction with the fresh roots right now. Fingers crossed.
That’s very useful information indeed! Thank you Sidney :)
Woolery has some seeds, thank you for posting how you grew them, I’m looking forward to my seeds sprouting
Hi MH, it’s a different type of alkanet (Anchusa officinalis) and will not give you the beautiful purple color of dyers alkanet.
I will not travel to Greece this year but if you can send me some seeds of Alkanna tinctoria, I would be very grateful.
Hello, you managed to get seeds? I’m also trying to get seeds Alkanna tinctoria. So far without success.
Hi Tanya, You are probably getting fed up with people asking you for Alkanna tinctoria seeds. I see from the correspondence here that you are no longer growing them but I was wondering if you had any updates on where you might be able to locate some. About 3 years ago I bought what was advertised as Alkanna tinctoria seeds from a German supplier “Ruhlemann’s” however the plants I grew turned out to have white roots without a trace of colour. I believe the seeds suppliers had bred a variety for its flowers and possibly for its medical properties and not for the dye and as a result had lost the red roots. Any help you could give would be much appreciated and If I can help in return in any way with dye plant seeds etc just ask. I see you have been involved in a social and therapeutic horticulture project at the local detention center. Interesting to me too as I am a horticultural therapist also.
I’ve been in touch with someone who lives in France and is interested in investigating this. I still can’t believe that after all these years that Dyers Alkanet is STILL such an issue to get a hold of.
Dear friends, I live in Greece and I am an agricultural engineer and plant pathologist. In my area (Korinth, Peloponnese), Alkanna tinctoria grows everywhere in the nearby mountains so it seems to me strange that someone is trying to find seeds. If anyone travels to Greece I would gladly share any knowledge with you and point some harvesting areas.
I would so love to get Alkanet seeds, please — thank you Katherine Jewell
I just received Alkanna tinctoria seed. From what I have read it says to give the seeds a cold treatment for several months in the fridge. But reading about your experience growing these seeds you started them in good potting soil with good results. So I am double checking with you whether you gave cold treatment. The seeds are so tiny and hard to find that I want to do it right.
Thank you.
If they came with those directions then follow them, I’d say. Mine came from a lady in the US with no particular growing instructions. They germinated without being stratified (cold treatment) but since the seeds are dear I’d follow your instructions to the T. Could you share where you got a hold of your seeds from?
Hi, Theodore Katsamakis, are you able to harvest and post seed?
Thank
Jo
Awesome
I’m sorry Anna but I’ve not grown it since the year I wrote this post. If I hear of any other sources I’ll let you know though.
Hi I recently found this beautiful plant in Greece growing in pure sand about 50 meters from the beach. The article was very interesting I will be looking out for the seeds when the time comes.
Hello Tanya!
I am very interested in growing some alkanet and as you mentioned in your post it is very difficult to find seeds. Wondering if you have any or know how I can contact ms. D or someone who does. Thanks so much and great post and site. Michelle
I found seeds originally through a natural dyer in the USA but to be honest haven’t been able to find seeds or plants anywhere else. I’d recommend you get in touch with a local natural dyer if you’re interested in finding out more.
Hi Lora and Mine – unfortunately it turned out that Alkanna Tinctoria prefers a much warmer climate and didn’t thrive here on the Isle of Man. I now have a native Alkanet growing in my garden but I don’t use it for dyeing since the pigment from it isn’t as strong and because I’ve now moved on to using primarily minerals to achieve blues. So I’m sorry but I don’t have any seeds for you.
Mumasu – the idea of harvesting at the end of the season or before the flowers form/bloom is that the roots have a lot more energy (colour) at those times. At other times, the roots are more of a piece of equipment for supplying food to the leaves and flowers.
Hi, I will like to buy some seeds from you, if is possible. Thanks
Dear Tanya,
I have been looking for alkanna tinctoria seeds for a while. It seems only way to get them is from other dyers. Could you share some of your alkanna tinctoria seeds with me?
Yours
At the risk of being thick can I ask a question! Why do you need to harvest the roots before the plant flowers. Are you going to harvest some and let some run to seed. Do the dying properties in the roots change after the plants have flowered. Do you have to kill the plant to harvest the roots.
Sorry that's lots of questions. Well done for your dedication in tracking down the seeds in the first place.
Tanya this is a lovely post, and so interesting. You are obviously very committed to producing the best natural products you can. The lavender soap looks so good, and beautifully presented.
I was going to say how lucky to find those seeds but it's not luck at all – it's your dedication that did it. It must have felt like holding a bag of treasure when you received your seeds, so exciting! I'm sure that the plants will thrive under your care, Tanya, you're willing them on to success! Best of luck with all this, xx
Such a beautiful colour and congratulations on finding the seeds. We will follow their progress with interest xxx
Thanks Fran – they certainly are a beautiful colour aren't they?
What an interesting post! Great information and I just loved the photos. :)
Thanks Staci – I have another great photo of various dyed wool using different natural colours and I was deliberating with putting it up or not. Ms. D sent it to me and I think I'll get a bit more information on which plants she used before I put it up.