Help Farmers Rear Silk Moths to Restore Forests

The SEPALIM team is continuing to expand on it experiments making textile plant dyes.  Some dyes are made from fruits purchased at the market and some are from plants that they gather and subsequently garden. The beautiful purple-black dye that is the background of photograph 1 is from the tropical fruit trees in genus, Garcinia.  The common Malagasy name is Mangosta.  The tree native to countries around the Indian Ocean and has been introduced in South America and Florida.  Mangosta is a slow growing tree and the fruit is harvested in April. The pulp surrounding the seeds is delicious and dyes are made from the fleshy shell.

Ampalibe is the Malagasy name for Jackfruit.  Although it is a native of India it is grown in Madagascar. ue-black) It is remarkable for its large size; it is the largest know fruit and can get up to 80 lbs (35kg). In addition to its beautiful color, it is packed with nutrient and Lalaina has been experimenting with making jackfruit flour for baking!  The fruit is harvested in May, June and October.  The fruit tastes like a combination of apples, mangoes, pineapple and banana.

Lichens, Olagoaka in Malagasy, are used to make the warm brown and orange dyes for Bombyx and Ceranchia silks.  They are harvested during the rain period January through April and is sold for 5000 Ar/kilo  (about $2.00) for its medicinal properties.  The lichens are a parasites of coconut trees and removing the lichen is beneficial to the tree.  People in Madagascar use this species to treat indigestion.

The team is continuing to experiment with new plants - stay tuned for results with Indigofera (light blue), Clidemia (black) and Folera mena (military green).

Links:

• Project site
• Project market site