…is the noni or Indian mulberry [Morinda tinctoria/citrifolia], an evergreen shrub. Its root bark is used for dyeing fabric in various shades of red, chocolate and purple.
From Hin: आल aal
- ‘Al or aal: it is used in giving a permanent red colour to the native cotton cloth called khurwa, which is much worn by the water-carriers of India.’ [Thomas Croxen Archer, First Steps in Economic Botany p 133. Lovell Reeve, 1854].
- ‘Aal (Morinda citrifolia) dyed, handloom woven textiles used mainly as sari by the women of the tribal societies and as turban or shoulder cloth by their men.’ [Sudha Dhingra, ‘Dyeing with Morinda Citrifolia: In Pursuit of Sustainable Future’. Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings, 957, 2018].
Sustainable Dyeing with Aal – Sahapedia