True cochineal is a very valuable product. Cochineal is a red dye formed by crushing
insects that feed on the Mexican prickly pear cactus. In a similar way, the
eggs of the lac insects (Laccifer lacca or Kerria lacca) that feed on the ruby-coloured gum of the dhak tree can be crushed to make a dye. In the 1790s the East India Company hoped that
this might be used as a substitute for cochineal but it was not a profitable
venture. Drawings of Indian plants and trees later named at the Royal Botanical Gardens Kew
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