Archil

or Orchil (a ˙ r´kil, or´kil), a red, violet, or purple colouring matter obtained from various kinds of lichens, the most important of which are the Roccella tinct or i a and the R. fuci form is , natives of the rocks of the Canary and Cape Verde Islands, Mozambique and Zanzibar, South America, ., and popularly called dyer's-mo . The dye is used for improving the tints of other dyes, as from its want of permanence it cannot be employed alone; but the aniline colours have largely superseded it. Cudbear and litmus are of similar origin.