Madder

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Madder is the common name of the plant genus Rubia L., the type genus of the madder family Rubiaceae.

Related Topics:
Plant - L. - Type genus - Rubiaceae

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The genus contains about 60 species of perennial scrambling or climbing herbs and sub-shrubs native to the Old World, Africa, temperate Asia and America.

Related Topics:
Herb - Sub-shrub - Old World

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The best known species are Common Madder (Rubia tinctorum), Wild Madder (Rubia peregrina), and Indian Madder (Rubia cordifolia).

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The Common Madder can grow to 1.5 m in height. The evergreen leaves are 5-10 cm long and 2-3 cm broad, produced in whorls of 4-7 starlike around the central stem. It climbs with tiny hooks at the leaves and stems. The flowers are small (3-5 mm across), with five pale yellow petals, in dense racemes, and appear from June to August, followed by small (4-6 mm diameter) red to black berries. The roots are between 20-30 cm long, up to 12 mm thick and the source of a red dye. It prefers loamy soils with a constant level of moisture.

Related Topics:
Evergreen - Leaves - Berries - Root - Dye

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Madders are used as food plants for the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Hummingbird hawk moth.

Related Topics:
Larva - Lepidoptera - Hummingbird hawk moth

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;Species

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• Rubia akane
• Rubia alaica Pachom.
• Rubia angustifolia L.
• Rubia angustifolia ssp. angustifolia
• Rubia angustifolia ssp. caespitosa
• Rubia chinensis Regel & Maack
• Rubia chitralensis Ehrend.
• Rubia cordata Thunb
• Rubia cordifolia L. : Indian Madder
• Rubia cretacea Pojark.
• Rubia deserticola Pojark.
• Rubia dolichophylla Schrenk
• Rubia florida Boiss.
• Rubia fruticosa
• Rubia jesoensis (Miq.) Miyabe & Miyake
• Rubia komarovii Pojark.
• Rubia krascheninnikovii Pojark.
• Rubia laevissima Tscherneva
• Rubia laxiflora Gontsch.
• Rubia pavlovii Bajtenov & Myrz.
• Rubia peregrina L. : Wild Madder
• Rubia rechingeri Ehrend.
• Rubia regelii Pojark.
• Rubia rezniczenkoana Litv.
• Rubia rigidifolia Pojark.
• Rubia schugnanica B.Fedtsch. ex Pojark.
• Rubia sikkimensis Kurz
• Rubia syrticola Miq.
• Rubia tatarica (Trevir.) F.Schmidt
• Rubia tibetica Hook.f.
• Rubia tinctorum L. : Common Madder
• Rubia transcaucasica Grossh.
• Rubia yunnanensis (Franch. ex Diels) Diels
 
Madder: Uses ►