botanicolor

the ethnobotanic
of fibres and dyes

by luminousgreen


Natural Dyes

Natural Fibers

plant fibres
retting
cotton
cotton plants
flax
hemp
sisal
ramie
piņa & abaca



Sources - Quellen
sisal


The leaves of the Sisal Agave can grow up to two meters long and are run through by countless strands of fibre. Individual fibres are actually quite short, only 3mm, but these are glued together into bundles measuring often longer than a meter. This Agave yields cream-white or golden, shiny hardfibres, which have good strength and durability. Sisal fibres are usually twisted into binding twine and are suited to the production of ropes, nets and matting.

Sisalfiber

Agave sisalana Perrine
Agavaceae
Sisal

This rosette-forming plant comes originally from the dryland regions of highland Mexico and is aparantly named after the harbor of Sisal on the Gulf of Mexico. Today sisal is grown principally in Brasil, Kenya, Tanzania and Madagascar. It can live as long as 12 years and develops in its final year a massive flower stand up to six meters tall. Agaves are monocarp, meaning they flower and friut only once, then die.

Agave sisalana

Every two to four years the lowest leaves are chopped from the plant. their fibres are stripped from them manually or by machine and dried in the sun. Sisal has many industrial uses and is strongly competitive with synthetic fibres. Traditionally knotted from the rough hard fibers are such items as sandals, footmats, rugs and twine.



A close relative to the Sisal Agave is the Genus Furcraea. The leaves of these fibreplants give a somewhat softer fibre. They are still used by the indios of Central America for making sacks, ropes and clothing. Modern north American industries are also experamenting with the Furcraea in the production of paper.