Coreopsis tinctoria Dyer's Coreopsis Cherokee, Zuni, and Apache made a
mahogany red dye from this North American native plant. The Navajo incorporated it
into a ceremonial lotion and also took it as a cold infusion
with salt to treat lightning infection, in which a material
given off by lightning was absorbed by the person or animal
and caused the body to swell. They also used it as a Life Medicine,
which meant it was picked and dried before use and combined
with other herbs for medicinal treatments of, for instance,
strains and swellings. The picking was done with reverence,
involving prayers and pollen applied as a sort of blessing
and/or sacrifice to the plant. Zuni women infused the leaves
and flowers as a tea (which apparently was red) to ensure female children. This
magic herb is a good choice for ceremonial dyes, fertility magic,
and protection from lightning. The rulership of this plant is
not clear, but we suggest Fire/Sun, due to the color
of the dye and the appearance of the flowers. This, though,
is clearly a female kind of Fire. Also known as wild flax, calliopsis, plains coreopsis, and
golden
tickseed. Top
How to grow
Dyer's Coreopsis Start a few weeks before
last frost inside or direct sow outside after danger of frost.
They get 2-3ft/60-90cm tall and 9-12in/22-30cm wide. They look weedy at first
and then bloom in 8-12 weeks. This is the kind of airy plant that
looks better in a group than singly and enjoys leaning against
it comrades rather than having distance between plants, which
tends to make them flop, so although a plant spacing of 6"/15cm
is recommended, you can plant them much closer.
A good choice for cottage gardens, it attracts bees, butterflies,
and finches like the seeds. It's easy to harvest
flowers for dyeing--just pull them off, but be careful of the
bees; they love them. Picking will encourage the plant to produce
more flowers. You can dry the flowers for storage. A good rich
yellow dye with alum or tin on wool and a reddish orange dye
in an alkaline dyebath (add a bit of ammonia or soda ash) on
wool with a chrome mordant. Two dozen plants should give enough
flowers to dye a pound of wool. Works on silk also. Dry
flowers on
a rack or in a dehydrator or freeze them for later use. Nice
for a cut flower. Reseeds readily. General growing
info Top
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Coreopsis tinctoria Dyer's Coreopsis 500 seeds $3.25
Indigo Woad Weld Dyer's
Chamomile Dyer's Broom Dyer's
coreopsis Safflower
Uses in
Witchcraft & Magic:
Protection from Lightning Fertility
Magic Ceremonial Dye Sun/Fire Herb
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