Bowstring hemp

Description

Strong, resilient fibers obtained from snake plants of the genus Sansevieria. Sansevieria plants are native to Africa and Asia. Bowstring hemp fibers are a soft, lustrous white. The waterproof fibers are used for bowstrings, cordage, ropes, mats, and nets.

Synonyms and Related Terms

sansevieria fiber; sanseveria fiber (sp); African bowstring hemp (S. metalaca); Guinea bowstring hemp (S. metalaca); ife hemp (S. cylindrica); pangane hemp (S.Kirkii); Somaliland bowstring hemp (S. ehrenbergii); moorva (S. roxburghiana); Ceylon bowstring hemp (S.zeylanica); bowstring hemp (S. trifasciata);cáñamo de sanseveria, cáñamo bowstring(Esp)

Physical and Chemical Properties

Good resistance to water.

Resources and Citations

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: Sansevieria. Retrieved May 25, 2003.

• J.Gordon Cook, Handbook of Textile Fibres:I Natural Fibres, Merrow Publishing Co. , Durham, England, 1984

• Fairchild's Dictionary of Textiles, Phyllis G.Tortora, Robert S. Merkel (eds.), Fairchild Publications, New York City, 7th edition, 1996

• Identification of Textile Materials, The Textile Institute, Manchester, England, 1985