Woodlands Bast Fiber Reference Collection

Some images of plant fibers in the FRIL Database are from the Woodland Plant Fiber Reference Collection as the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). Pre-Columbian clothing, baskets, pouches, cords and mats were often made from the inner layers of bark and plants. In the northern and eastern regions of North America, the most commonly used fibers were

• Basswood: Basswood (Tilia americana)
• Elm: Slippery elm (Ulnus rubra)
• Nettle: Stinging nettle (Urtica dioca)
• Dogbane: Dogbane (Apocynum annabinum)
• Milkweed: Common milkweed (Aspclepias syria), Swamp milkweed (Aspclepias incarnate)

Comparison Table

Common name	Scientific Name	Micro-fibrillar Spin	Crystals	Crystal Diagram	Cross-section Diagram	Fiber Diameter (microns)	Cross-section (L:W Ratio)	EDS Results
Dogbane	Apocynum cannabinum	S	Calcium sulfate in parenchyma			Range: 5-35 Typical: 15-25	2.09	Ca, S, Na
Nettle	Urtica dioica	S	Frequent calcium oxalate druses in parenchyma			Range: 10-75 Typical: 15-70	2.7	Ca, S
Common milkweed	Asclepias syriaca	S	Infrequent calcium oxalate druses in parenchyma, calcium sulfate in parenchyma			Range: 10-30 Typical: 10-20	1.3	Ca, S, Na
Swamp milkweed	Asclepias incarnata	S	Infrequent calcium oxalate druses in parenchyma, >calcium sulfate in parenchyma			Range: 5-25 Typical: 15-20	1.23	Ca, S, Na
Basswood	Tilia americana	Z	Calcium oxalate druses and prismatic, found within fiber network; calcium sulfate also present			Range: 8-20 Typical: 10-18	1.32	Ca, S, Na
Slippery elm	Ulmus rubra	Z?	Frequent calcium oxalate prismatic crystals in fiber network			Range: 4-14 Typical: 5-10	1.59	Ca, Mg, Na

• Note:L:W ratio is calculated as the mean width and length of the fiber cross-section. L:W=1 indicates a round shape, while larger numbers describe increasingly oblong cross-section shapes

Resources and Citations

• Nora Frankel, edited 4/10/18, National Museum of the American Indian