Alizarin is an organic compound with formula C14H8O4 that has been used throughout history as a prominent red dye, principally for dyeing textile fabrics. Historically it was derived from the roots of plants of the madder genus. In 1869, it became the first natural dye to be produced synthetically.
Alizarin
Red alizarin staining of rat's embryonic bones for osteogenesis study
Red alizarin stained juvenile Roosterfish (Nematistius pectoralis) lit by fluorescent light.
Johannes Vermeer, Christ in the House of Martha and Mary, 1654-56. The red jacket worn by Mary is painted in madder lake
Rubia is the type genus of the Rubiaceae family of flowering plants, which also contains coffee. It contains around 80 species of perennial scrambling or climbing herbs and subshrubs native to the Old World. The genus and its best-known species are commonly known as madder, e.g. Rubia tinctorum, Rubia peregrina, and Rubia cordifolia.
Rubia
Skeins of yarn colored with dye from madder root, Rubia tinctorum.