Al is a plant of the madder family. The young roots and root barks yield valuable red dye, wherein the root sugar is changed into red dye stuff. Till 1886 cultivation of madder was a monopoly of the Orient. Dried roots were imported in Italy under the name ‘LIZARI‘ or ‘ALIZARI‘. The Al root was being extensively used as a dye till the synthetic alizarine was discovered in the year 1889.