Carl Linnaeus was a famed botanist, or the study of plants and plant biology, discovered one of the most famous or the most famous dye of all time, indigo. He discovered that the reason the indigo plant got it color was by fermentation. That means that an African tribe member must have thrown ashes or urinated on plant then let it sit in the hot sun. Because of this countries sent armadas of ships to Africa and Asia to trade for indigo, which would be traded in massive amounts. Humans, silk, and other crops and resources were sold in HUGE quantities, also increasing the trade of slave and other indentured servants.