Pia

Woman's dress
MFA# 2002.461

Description

Cloth detail
MFA# 2002.461

Long bast fibers obtained from the leaves of pineapple plants, Ananas magdalenae or Ananas comosus, native to tropical America. Pineapple plants are cultivated in Hawaii, Philippines, Indonesia, India and West Indies. The light cream color pia fibers are fine, soft and lustrous. Pia fibers are very resistant to salt water and are strong, wear resistant and easy to clean. They are used for fabrics, ropes, twines and paper. Pia cloth, a soft, sheer fabric made from the long fibers, is used for apparel, accessories and home furnishings.

Synonyms and Related Terms

Ananas magdalenae; Ananas comosus; pina; pita; pineapple fiber; abacaxi (Brazil); silk grass; fibras de pia (Esp.)

Handkerchief
MFA# 52.596

Risks

• Not resistant to acids.

Physical and Chemical Properties

• Fiber length 10 - 20 cm (2 - 4 inches)
• Cross section = oval

Comparisons

Properties of Natural Fibers

Resources and Citations

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 728

• Rosalie Rosso King, Textile Identification, Conservation, and Preservation, Noyes Publications, Park Ridge, NJ, 1985

• Marjory L. Joseph, Introductory Textile Science, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Fort Worth, TX, 1986

• 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

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

• Edward Reich, Carlton J. Siegler, Consumer Goods: How to Know and Use Them, American Book Company, New York City, 1937