Comparison of Staining by Sophora japonica L. and Phellodendron

Sophora japonica L. of 10-20 m tall is a popular ornamental tree in Europe, North America and South Africa, grown for its white flowers, borne in late summer after most other flowering trees have long finished flowering. Phellodendron amurense Ruprecht commonly called the Amur cork tree is a major source of huáng bò used in traditional Chinese medicine as a painkiller. In this study, staining patterns for the silk fiber by two natural stainers of Sophora japonica L., and Phellodendron amurense Ruprecht were compared and analyze. An analysis was made as to how various mordants changed the colors of the silk. Aluminum potassium sulfate induced a very shiny and distinct yellow color. Interestingly, two mordants of copper acetate and Iron II sulfate induced different colors of brown and khaki, respectively. Dried Phellodendron amurense Ruprecht was dark brown in the outer peel but was a distinct yellow inside the peel. Interestingly, copper acetate induced very different colors of khaki. Compared with Sophora japonica L. and Phellodendron amurense Ruprecht, copper acetate, as a mordant, had an effect on big color changes as compared with original and other mordants. Both natural plants of S. japonica L. and P. amurense Ruprecht are of interest for biomedical applications and fiber areas but they are not well studied. S. japonica L. and P. amurense Ruprecht will be very good candidates for biomedical approaches and become dyes for other fibers in the future.