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Indian madder

Rubia cordifolia

Also called Heart Leaf Indian Madder

Indian madder
Photo: Vinayaraj, CC BY-SA 3.0

Rubia cordifolia is a climbing, evergreen perennial in the coffee family, grown for the red dye in its roots. It climbs by tiny hooks on its leaves and stems and needs a moist, loamy soil.

Family
Rubiaceae (Coffee family)
Grows as
Climber
Light
Part shade, Bright indirect
Water
Keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged.
Soil
Loamy, fertile soil that holds moisture.
Temperature
Warm conditions; protect from frost, roughly 15–30 °C.
How easy
Moderate
Native range
Greece, Sudan to S. Africa, Asia
Climate
temperate

About

Rubia cordifolia, known as Indian madder, is a species of flowering plant in the coffee family, Rubiaceae. It has been cultivated for a red pigment derived from roots.

Uses

Rubia cordifolia was the source of an economically important red pigment in many regions of Asia, Europe and Africa. It was extensively cultivated from antiquity until the mid-nineteenth century.

Other Rubia plants

Dyer's madder · Madders

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Rubia cordifolia by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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