Natural plant dyes in El Desmonte, Cerro Colorado Natural and Cultural Reserve, Córdoba (Argentina)

Abstract

Non-timber forest products have high intrinsic value as well as ecological, cultural and scientific value. Dye plants are among these resources whose knowledge and use in Cordoba is concentrated in the rural communities of small cattle producers in the Northwest and North of the Province. In this work the objective is to acknowledge the historical and current use of dye plants and the associated practices that allow to rescue and to revalue environmental knowledge of the north of Cordoba, particularly in the Paraje El Desmonte, Cerro Colorado Natural-Cultural Reserve. We inquired about the local knowledge to obtain and use the natural dyes of plants in the studied area and compared the dye species from native forests with those used in El Desmonte. Data were obtained through ethnobiological tools. There were 24 potential dye species in the area, with records of historical use in other sites in northwestern Cordoba. In the study area, seven species are currently used. It was evidenced that forests are still an important supplier of these resources and that the use of dye plants combined with dyeing techniques is a current practice which was passed on for generations