Roucou; A Natural Colorant (II)
According to De Rochefort, the “Caribbians have of these trees in all their gardens, and are very careful in the ordering and keeping of them, and esteem them very highly”, particularly because they make great use of the bright Vermilion dye from the Roucou Tree which they use to paint their bodies red, they also use the dye in painting and as a lustre for their house crockery.
*DE ROCHEFORT Charles, The History of the Caribby Islands, Book I; Natural History of Those Islands (1658), printed by J.M, London, 1666, p.44.