Fiber Plants

We'll start this list with a few native plants. Our common Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) probably deserves an article to itself since it has so many uses. Apart from its wildlife value, it can supply us with food, medicine, liquid fertilizer and compost material. It also produces a good quality fibre suitable for cloth, indeed it has in the past been cultivated for this purpose. It prefers a rich soil and is more than capable of fending for itself so doesn't really need to be cultivated. Almost any species of nettle can be utilised for fibre.

The Hop (Humulus lupulus) is often cultivated as a herb or a flavouring for beer. Found wild in hedgerows, it responds very well to generous treatment in the garden, looking especially ornamental in early autumn. Tender young shoots in spring are very nice cooked. The stem fibres are used to produce a coarse cloth.

Those people with more space could grow our native Lime Trees (Tilia cordata, T. x. europaea and T. platyphyllus). The fibre is found in the inner bark and is best from trunks 6-12 inches in diameter so a 10 year coppice rotation is probably the best way of growing these trees. The fibre can be used for cloth or ropes. These trees produce the nicest edible leaf that we've as yet found on a tree. Only eat young leaves, which can be produced from April to October on coppiced plants, they are mucilaginous without any strong flavour. A refreshing herbal tea is made from the dried flowers, the fresh flowers are a magnet to bees and a mixture of fresh flowers and immature fruits is said to make a delicious chocolate substitute.

Moving into S Europe, Spanish Broom (Spartium junceum) is a medium sized shrub growing in dry situations amongst rocks and shrubs. Easily grown in a sunny position and well-drained soil, this plant has become naturalized in S Britain. The stem fibres are a hemp substitute being used mainly for coarse fabrics, cordage and paper. The stems are very pliable and can be used in basketry.

Going much further east we find in China one of the very finest and strongest fibres, Ramie (Boehmeria nivea). This member of the nettle family is probably only suitable for the warmer southern part of Britain, it is a herbaceous perennial and requires a rich well-drained soil. It prefers conditions of high humidity and fairly high rainfall so might need irrigation in dry years. The fibres from this plant are the longest known in the plant world. Their tensile strength is seven to eight times that of silk or cotton and this is actually improved by wetting. Cloth made from this fibre is said to be moth-proof, it is also used for making very strong ropes and nets.

The Paper Mulberry (Broussonetya papyrifera) is a small deciduous tree whose range extends from China to the tropical South Sea Islands and yet it is hardy in Britain if given a warm position and a fairly rich soil. When grown for its fibre it is usually coppiced on an annual basis (though perhaps less often if grown in our cooler climes). To make cloth from this plant the bark is usually cut into strips about 4 x 12 inches and laid out flat on a smooth wooden surface. It is then beaten with wooden mallets, the more it is beaten the thinner and finer it becomes. Size can be increased by overlapping other strips of bark and beating them together. Depending upon the degree of beating the resulting cloth can range from a thick material suitable for sacking to the very finest gossamer thin clothing. This plant also produces a delicious fruit but only a very small proportion of the structure is actually edible which makes it too fiddly to be very worthwhile.

Moving on to New Zealand in this journey around the globe, New Zealand Flax (Phormium tenax) is found growing wild in lowland swamps and on low ground. A member of the Lily family, so completely unrelated to our native flax plants, it is easily grown in most soils and is so tolerant of maritime exposure that it can be grown as a screen and windbreak near the coast. The fibre is found in the long leaves and it can be used to make fine cloth and ropes. There is some difficulty, however, in preparing these fibres due to the presence of a gum in the leaves. The residual leaf pulp can be fermented to make alcohol for fuel, a fast brown dye is produced from the flowers, a strip of leaf can be used as an emergency garden tie and the whole leaf is used in basketry.

Finally to N. America where there are a number of fibre plants. Indian Hemp (Apocynum cannabinum) - not related to Marijuana - is a herbaceous perennial growing in moist or shady places and is easily cultivated in most soils in sun or shade. The fibre, obtained from the stems in early to late autumn, is very strong, does not shrink and retains its strength in water. It is used mainly for sails, twine and garden nets. Two other members of this genus A. androsaemifolium and A. venetum produce a similar though slightly inferior fibre.

Along the Pacific west coast of America grow a number of Iris species (I. douglasiana, I. macrosiphon and I. purdyi) whose leaf fibres produce a beautifully strong and pliable rope. Traditionally the N. American Indians would take just one fibre from each outside edge of the leaves, though I know of no reason why all the fibres could not be used. The Indians would have needed thousands of plants by their method in order to produce any quantity of rope. Usually found wild on grassy slopes, these beautiful plants are easily grown, preferring rich well-drained lime-free soils in sun or semi-shade.

The Milkweeds (Asclepia species) are also very good fibre plants - see our leaflet The Milkweeds.

Obtaining the fibres from the plant is usually a fairly straightforward though smelly and labour intensive process. We don't intend to go into any great details having no experience of the extraction process. The basic principle however is to encourage the softer parts of the plant to rot so that only the stronger fibres remain. This is usually done by either immersing the plants in water or tying them up in bundles outdoors for the dew and rain to work on them. Once the softer parts start to rot the fibres are separated and cleaned and are then ready for use. At least it sounds easy, though we would advise you to read up on the subject before trying it.

(The best internet resoure for using fibers I've found is The Fiber Resources Page)

Database

The database has more details on these plants: Apocynum androsaemifolium, Apocynum cannabinum, Apocynum venetum, Boehmeria nivea, Humulus lupulus, Iris douglasiana, Iris macrosiphon, Iris purdyi, Phormium tenax, Spartium junceum, Tilia x vulgaris, Urtica dioica.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Fiber Plants

JAG Fri Jun 1 10:29:03 2001

hemp is the primary fibre crop, being used for food and soap and energy

learn more about the myriad products being made today from this most prolific grower!

http://www.hemp-union.karoo.net

Fiber Plants

Paul Sat Jan 5 21:27:49 2002

You need pictures it would make poeple want to read about the pictures it also helps poeple with reasearch.I like the comment thing

Fiber Plants

Richard Fiorino Wed Feb 6 21:56:13 2002

Where can I find bleached line flax for spinning?

Fiber Plants

Gemma Alcantara Sat Oct 12 08:55:15 2002

More fibrous plants which are used extensively as clothing materials, specifically in the Philippines, are the pineapple and banana plants.

Fiber Plants

me Wed Feb 12 16:09:55 2003

these are some of the best facts known to man kind and i really apreciate it.( majurt,uukhae,and dont forget ultide.)

Fiber Plants

gordon soaring hawk Tue Apr 1 23:48:06 2003

Apocynum cannabinum - dogbane. As a native American artist, I have extensively used dogbane for fiber material. It is easily separated from the stalks and produces a very strong fiber. I have seen nets used for catching rabbits created by the Paiute Indians. These works of art contain over two miles of hand-made cordage. unfortunately, the state of Utah deems this plant to be a noxious weed, and it is being extirpated along much of its former range. It is getting harder to find, but it rivals the best linen in its strength and softness. I use it for cordage, bowstrings, and lashings for arrows, spears, and other artifacts.

Fiber Plants

Aakriti Mittal Sat May 21 2005

Your site is a very boring site.It does not has any information on Indian fibre plants.I would never log on to this site if such a information is given and I don't care of these unknown fibre plants.

Fiber Plants

cutie pie Thu Jul 14 2005

please feature another fibrous plants. yung d pa common for paper making

Fiber Plants

Thu Oct 6 2005

Coastal Style Sisal Rugs This site seems to have most of the natural fibers used in a textile application.

Fiber Plants

josh Sun Nov 27 2005

i think it is really mean people saying bad things about your site although i do agree but thankyou this was really helpfull for my homework

Fiber Plants

pretty gurl..7 Mon Jan 2 2006

This site is nice but I think it doesn't give much information. You need to work on this site. Improve it, add more lists of fibrous plants and give its common compounds.

Fiber Plants

Adi bulua cdo Thu Jan 12 2006

please put some pictures because it is important to the viewers like me.Do you have pictures of some of the fiber in making the fabric?

Fiber Plants

Wed Feb 1 2006

This site was useful for my homework, but it would be more helpful if there were pictures. Another possible suggestion would be to be able to search for fibres under headings such as paper, textiles etc, so that you could search for different functions of fibres.

Fiber Plants

Sat Feb 4 2006

how can i blend spider silk for fabrics w/c are MADE by other fiber from plants? what would be its advantages and disadvantage?

Fiber Plants

ken Tue Feb 21 2006

who made this web site????

Fiber Plants

xxlaurenxx Fri Mar 10 2006

It would be nice if there was some pictures to help us no we is reading

Fiber Plants

James Wed Mar 22 2006

Good info with practical applications. Thanks.

Fiber Plants

DR. SHAIVAL K. RAO Thu Apr 13 2006

YOUR SITE DOESN'T HAVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT INDIAN FIBER PLANTS LIKE COTTON, FLAX AND JUTE! PLEASE TRY TO INCLUDE SOME MORE INFORMATION. THE SITE IS GOOD FOR EUROPEANS THOUGH AND VERY INFORMATIVE.

www.life.umd.edu/classroom/bsci124/lec27.html

Fiber Plants

sian Sun Jun 25 2006

PLEASE INCLUDE PICTURES FOR EACH FIBROUS PLANTS,IT WILL BE VERY HELPFULL TO US THERE IS NO MENTION ABOUT INDIAN FIBROUS PLANTS LIKE COTTON,COCCONUT,BOMBAX,JUTE..etc..

Fiber Plants

Tue Jun 27 2006

I think u need more information on cotton, flax and jute! they are really importent to us as we use it all the time. And I think that it would be a really good idea to put pictures on the page so that we can understand what is going on.

Fiber Plants

nupur Sun Aug 13 2006

your site should have some information about indian origin plants, as it can be helpful in doing our homework.

Fiber Plants

ivy tolosa Fri Aug 25 2006

what other fiber plants can be used in cloth making in the philippines?

Fiber Plants

Yewande A.O. Afonja Tue May 8 2007

I understand that a long-fibre plant that grows in the northern parts of Nigeria can be used to make paper. I also understand that the plant can be harvested in 6 months. Pl. let us have whatever information you may have about such a plant. Thanks. Yewande A.O. Afonja

Fiber Plants

Jen Barr Fri Jul 13 2007

I would like to see information on the process of creating useful materials from fibre plants.

Fiber Plants

ISISRET Sun Jul 15 2007

You forgot Hemp (Cannabis sativa), cultivated in France and which fiber gives a string used by french postman to make packets of letters to distribute. I have a pair of confortable trousers made of hemp ; it's a rather thick and heavy material.

Fiber Plants

Roberta Burnes Thu Aug 30 2007

Making fiber from milkweed is easy, not hard! The key is to gather the dried stems of the milkweed in the late winter through early summer. Let nature do the work for you. Using last year's stems makes it easy to break them apart and peel off the fibers from the outside. Milkweed and dogbane make gorgeous, soft, and strong cordage.

Fiber Plants

sania Wed Sep 12 2007

well ur site is good bt the plants are actually nt found in india. and no pictures makes d site very dull. pls add pictures so that all d information can be gained n one site itself. and plz put smthing regarding india as well.

Fiber Plants

jocelyn williams Thu Sep 27 2007

would you like a photo of some nettels i have knitted with back ground info? i am writting a dissertation on sustainable and new fabrics so i'll let you know what more i find out and could you direct me to any other usefull sites?

Fiber Plants

Sheila Sun Nov 25 2007

what chemical can i used in order to extract fiber from leaves?

Fiber Plants

bobby Mon Jan 28 2008

it smells x

Fiber Plants

hanieloan Wed Feb 20 2008

ur wedsite is nice but you need to improve more!

Fiber Plants

varun sharma Sat Feb 23 2008

Fiber Plants

Mon Feb 25 2008

You could present the information on this page differently, for example, using tables and pictures so the user can get to the information they want more quickly.

Fiber Plants

shatima Fri Apr 18 2008

fribous plant just alll about it

Fiber Plants

seidmo_2 Mon May 5 2008

apart from fiber plants been used for clothen water else can use it for in terms of art and inparticular painting

Fiber Plants

natttttttt(L) Sun May 18 2008

i think this site gives the right amount of info good job chap!

Fiber Plants

Sid Sun Jul 13 2008

The link to "The Fiber Resources Page" in this article is broken.

Fiber Plants

FM Mon Aug 18 2008

What is the local Nigerian name for Linum Usitatissimum (FLAX) and where can it be found in Nigeria?

Fiber Plants

mary rose Sat Aug 23 2008

can i know what fibrous plant can ew use to make paper that is abundant in philippines.?? i am a student... i am interested to make a paper.... hope i will more about it. more power..

Fiber Plants

katerina alice Mon Sep 22 2008

plants that usually grow like seeds i plant them so plant plant 2 now ........by katellene

plants for our growth 4918754

Fiber Plants

kharen Mon Oct 6 2008

plz namn u pki hanap ung pineapple fiber

Fiber Plants

Preston Mon Dec 1 2008

Cotton, People on this page are talking about India cotton. How about how the United States was a huge grower of cotton before the chemical companies started putting out synthetic cotton and drove millions of people out of jobs. How about Hemp and how it has a thousand uses and yet few if any are ever used in the US, production wise.

Vegetable COOP Organic Vegetable Growers Cooperative

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