Butterfly Pea Flowers (Clitoria ternatea) - 100gm

Dried Butterfly Pea Flowers – Clitoria ternatea

Butterfly pea flowers are a vibrant and fascinating addition to your natural dye toolkit. Known for their deep blue and violet tones, these flowers can be used for bundle-dyeing, eco-printing, and dye baths. They're particularly responsive to pH shifts—creating blue on neutral to alkaline fibres, and shifting to purple or pink in more acidic conditions.

Ideal for use on silk and wool, but can also be used on cellulose fibres with good results when mordanted. Their colour is soft but distinct, making them especially beautiful for layering, contrast, or subtle backgrounds.

Botanical name: Clitoria ternatea
Best used for: Bundle-dyeing, eco-printing, solar dyeing, and pH experiments
Colour range: Blue, purple, pink (depending on pH and mordant)
Recommended mordants: Alum for brighter colour, iron to shift toward grey-blues
Fibre compatibility: Best on silk and wool; also suitable for cotton and linen with mordant
Form: Whole dried flowers
Lightfastness: Moderate (better on protein fibres)

Try steeping the flowers in hot water to release their colour before applying to fabric, or sprinkle directly onto damp cloth in bundle-dyeing for scattered bursts of blue.