Red Sorghum as a dye.

Sorghum was one of the dye plants I grew last year. It grew very well on our dry southern slope. One night the wild boar came to invest it and pulled some down.

They neither ate it or returned, no doubt knowing at the first sniff that it is poisonous. Unfortunately, this year I didn't have time to work with this fascinating plant, but I have kept some seed and plan to sew it this year as a combined dye crop, shade and wind break. It is very drought resistent, its leaves contract around the stem conserving moisture as they dry.

The dye is found in the inside of the leaf bracts. These parts of the plant have about a 20% dye content. I would very much welcome comments and ideas from anyone with experience of working with this red dye.