Woodlands Bast Fiber Reference Collection

Note: this page is in progress. Please do not link or cite until it is finalized

Description

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: Bass wood (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)

A table containing a comparison of these fibers can be found here.

Common name	Scientific Name	Micro-fibrillar Spin	Crystals	Crystal Diagram	Cross-section Diagram	Fiber Diameter (microns)	Fiber 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

Resources and Citations

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