St John's blood

chained_bear commented on the word St John's blood

"St. John's blood was a popular name for the insect Porphyrophora polonica. Later called Polish cochineal, it sometimes served as payment for tithes and rents in the regions where it was grown: eastern Europe, Russia, and Asia Minor. Eastern Europeans traditionally harvested the insects in June and July, starting on the feast day of St. John--hence the name. Unlike oak-kermes, which grew out in the open, St. John's blood flourished underground on the roots of the scleranth plant, which made collecting it a burdensome process. Since each plant harbored only about forty of the minuscule insects, thousands of plants had to be uprooted, cleaned, and stripped to produce a marketable amount of the dyestuff. Though the grassy bushes were replanted again, they often withered away, so new ones were always needed--adding to the expense of what was already a very costly dyestuff. Yet its red was undeniably brilliant, and many dyers valued it even more highly than that of oak-kermes."

Amy Butler Greenfield, A Perfect Red: Empire, Espionage, and the Quest for the Color of Desire (New York: Harper Collins, 2005), 30.

See also oak-kermes.

October 4, 2017