<i>Fascinating stuff, and worthy of further study in the context of ancient colouring agents.</i>

Ain't that the truth :-)

"The Herb Book" by John Lust pub Bantam, my copy is 1986, has a short but comprehensive chapter on plants as dyes, a list of plant dyes by colour and plant dyes by plant including the material it's best on and which mordants to use. As well as being yer ordinary herbal, it contains a wealth of info about all aspects of herbs and plants and even on a superficial level is a jolly good read, who can resist the plant mythology section?

660 pages, American although it contains many plants native here, too, you just have to be a bit more careful looking them up if you're using it for home remedies, although it's well enough referenced with common and latin names.

It's my first point of reference for anything herbal, it (and Non Shaw's Herbal Remedies) lives next to my keyboard, all the others are in the bookcase.

Latest edition here, and at just over a fiver it won't break the bank.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0879040556/qid=1145701736/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_2_1/203-0828314-4696739#product-details

Rune