Roccella (Noun)
Meaning
A source of the dye archil and of litmus.
Classification
Nouns denoting plants.
Examples
- Roccella is a type of lichen used historically as a source of the dye archil and of litmus.
- The main lichen sources of litmus and archil dyes were species of Roccella and Lecanora.
- Litmus, an indicator used in acid-base chemistry, is typically extracted from lichens like Roccella tinctoria.
- Species of the genus Roccella, along with others in the same family, were highly valued as sources of these commercially valuable dyes.
- Dyes like litmus, extracted from the Roccella genus of lichens, are no longer the main commercial sources.