Leaf fibers or hard fibers are a type of plant

fiber Fiber or fibre (from la, fibra, links=no) is a natural or artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The strongest engineering materials often incorporate ...

mainly used for cordage (producing rope). They are the toughest of the plant fibers which is most likely due to their increased lignin content when compared to the other groups of plant fibers. They are typically characterized as being very tough and rigid lending them towards being used in rope production over clothing or paper like other plant fibers. Leaf fibers can be found in the vascular bundles of plant leaves and therefore consist of both phloem and xylem tissues and any other vascular sheathing tissues (for example sclerenchyma cells). More specifically, leaf fibers are typically found in

monocotyledonous Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, (Lilianae ''sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are grass and grass-like flowering plants (angiosperms), the seeds of which typically contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. They constitute one of ...

leaves. The fibers are harvested from plants in long, thin bundles mainly through the process of

decortication Decortication is a medical procedure involving the surgical removal of the surface layer, membrane, or fibrous cover of an organ. The procedure is usually performed when the lung is covered by a thick, inelastic pleural peel restricting lung exp ...

which is where the non-fibrous tissues are scraped away from the plant fibers by hand or in a machine. For the majority of cases, the leaves must be hand-picked from the plant at maturity before undergoing decortication which causes the harvesting of hard fibers to be a very energy and time intensive task.

Sisal Sisal (, ) (''Agave sisalana'') is a species of flowering plant native to southern Mexico, but widely cultivated and naturalized in many other countries. It yields a stiff fibre used in making rope and various other products. The term sisal may ...

and abaca are the primary leaf fibers that are harvested and sold. These are both mainly used to make rope or matting but, as technology continues to advance these, and other, hard fibers are being able to be broken down and pulped to be used in paper products. Not much research is being looked into the possibilities and abilities of leaf fibers as they are very hard to harvest and process so synthetic fibers are more commonly used in their place.

Common fibers

* Abaca (Manila Hemp) - cordage *

Piña Piña ( ) is a traditional Philippine fiber made from the leaves of the pineapple plant. Pineapples are indigenous to South America but have been widely cultivated in the Philippines since the 17th century, and used for weaving lustrous lace-li ...

- cloth *

- cordage, matting *Cantala - woven fabrics *

Phormium ''Phormium'' is a genus of two plant species in the family Asphodelaceae. One species is endemic to New Zealand and the other is native to New Zealand and Norfolk Island. The two species are widely known in New Zealand as flax or their Māori ...

- flax, cordage

References

{{Reflist Fibers