LOGWOOD

GENERALITIES

Logwood tree (Haematoxylon campechianum) is a high tree reaching 10 to 15 meters with reddish trunk and thorny branches.

Haematoxylon campechianum

Logwood tree grows in Campeche Bay (Mexico) that’s why it is also known under the name « Campeche Wood ».
This wood has a great commercial value and as far back as the XVIIth century, large plantations of Logwood spread all over Central and South America.
For industrial purposes, only the central part of the trunk is suitable.

HISTORY

The tinctorial property of Logwood was known from the first millenium by aboriginals of Central America, the Aztecs, who were calling it « quamochitl ».
After the invasion of Central America by Spain, Europe started to use this dyewood in huge quantities, replacing the domestic vegetable dyes - woad and indigo.
As a matter of fact, this provoked a recession in the English conventional dye market leading to various wars between England and Spain in Latin America to control the Logwood harvests.
During the XVIIIth century, 95 % of silk, cotton, wool and leather black dyeing was made with Logwood extract.
Two centuries later, in 1950, world consumption of Campeche wood was still of 70,000 tons in spite of hugh competition from synthetic dyes.
Now, S.C.R-D. is the leader manufacturer of vegetable dyes including Logwood, continuing the tradition of « Compagnie Française des Extraits - Maison Westphalen » which was the initiator and the main manufacturer of Logwood through its sister companies in Jamaica/West Indies, Mexico and the United States.

COMPOSITION

The active dye of Campeche wood is Hematoxyline, discovered in 1810 by Chevreul, a French Chemist, and it belongs to the group of neoflavanoids.

Hematoxyline - or Hematine - gives by itself a blue to violet shade depending on the pH. Logwood also contains glucoside derivatives and 20 to 40 % of tan depending on the brand and the oxidation rate.