Whilst birding the Hanidh area in summer I came across some Dyer’s Croton Chrozophora tinctorial. This plant is native to the Mediterranean, the Middle East, India, Pakistan, and Central Asia. It is an annual, typically found in nutrient-poor ground where it develops a large taproot. The plant is erect and covered with wool-like hairs and is pollination is by ants. Dyer’s Croton can produce a blue-purple colorant "turnsole" (also known as katasol or folium) used in medieval illuminated manuscripts and as a food colorant in Dutch cheese and certain liquors. The colour comes from the plant's fruit, specifically its dry outer coat.
