Boldo and Peumo: dye plants from native forest
The native forest of central Chile is called sclerophyllous forest, or bosque esclerófilo in Spanish. Sclerophyllous means that the trees have hard, thick leaves that are resistant to drought. Sclerophyllous forest and many of the species within it are threatened; a lot of native forest has been replaced by eucalyptus, which tends to take over, or cut down due to development. But it is an ecosystem that still exists in many places in central Chile, and one that is well-adapted even for the extreme drought we’ve been experiencing.
I collect limited quantities of these plants, since I don’t want to do any harm, and take leaves that have already fallen to the ground whenever I can. By collecting slowly, I gradually accumulate enough for one or two dye pots a year. The two species I collect the most are boldo and peumo.
Boldo gives yellows and browns, and can be shifted to green with iron, which means the main dye compound is flavanoids, the most common dye found in plants.
Peumo gives peach and orange colors, and gray with iron, indicating the presence of tannins.
Usually I use peumo leaves, but I took some bark once from a fallen tree and got colors from that as well. The colors I obtained were similar.
I can find these plants in many areas around the region, but the Quinta Vergara is a special place for me, one I spend time in regularly. It’s a large park in the middle of the city, with a historical palace (now a museum) and grounds for children to play, as well as an amphitheater that is home to the largest music festival in South America. But behind all that there’s a whole woods to explore, and as you go deeper in the eucalyptus trees slowly disappear and are replaced by the native sclerophyllous trees. There, you hear only the sound of the stream that runs through the park- the sound of traffic is barely noticeable even though it’s just a short distance from the city center. Through years of taking pictures, using iNaturalist, finding reference books, and participating in events to clean up the park and plant more native trees, I’m slowly getting to really know the plants, the changes throughout the year, and even some of the birds. It’s a slow process. Every time I come I observe something I hadn’t noticed before. I take a few leaves, careful not to cause any disturbance. And I try to give something back in return.
