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Walnut

Juglans regia L.
Colors Obtained
Dark Brown, Brown, Fawn
Dye Ingredients
Juglon
Historical Data
In Turkey and other countries in the temperate zone in both the New and the Old World , there is only one significant dyeplant for brown: the more than twenty species of the walnut family, Juglans. The outer husks of the nuts and the leaves have been used since ancient times to produce a brown dye. In antiquity, Greek and Roman writers mentioned the cultivation of walnut trees. Pliny gives a recipe for dyeing grey hair to brown. The Romans brought the tree from Greece to Italy and later across the Alps, first to France , then to Germany . From the expression Welsh nut (foreign nut), in both English and German, the names walnut and Walnuss developed. Many sources report its use as a brown dye for wool. Use of the dried husks for dyeing continues to this day in Turkey , Iran , and other countries, where the husks are sold for this purpose.