Thirty-three plant species have been recorded to be used by the women weavers of Ri- Bhoi for creating natural organic colours for dyeing of eri-silk yarns.

The dyestuffs and mordants used are collected from locally available plants and plant parts like leaves, bark, fruits, stem, peels etc.

Most of these plants are naturally grown and some are cultivated in the backyards of weavers for the purpose of colour extraction.