Osage Orange Sawdust

Description

Osage orange (Maclura pomifora) is native to Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas but has naturalized throughout many other states. It has a yellow heartwood sometimes streaked with red that makes a bright and lightfast yellow dye. Osage was one of the dyes used to make khaki colored uniforms during the first World War. In addition, it was also used as windbreaks called shelterbelts that held down the soil during the great Dust Bowl of the 1920s and 30s. Osage orange trees made natural fence posts in the Great Plains region of the US. It is also planted to prevent soil erosion. Due to its extreme durabilty, osage wood is used to make hunting bows, railroad ties, wagon wheels and fenceposts. The osage tree produces large bumpy fruits called “hedge apples:” these are not edible but contain certain anti-fungal properties from the pigment pomiferin that reduces spoilage.

Our osage orange sawdust has been milled from downed trees. It is a strong dye, producing a very bright yellow on wool with an alum and tartar mordant. When indigo is overdyed with osage, it produces rich, deep yellow green and when iron is added to the dye bath, the color shifts to moss green. 100g will dye about 500g (1 pound) of fiber a bright yellow. For more instructions, please see our page on how to use osage orange.