Missouri Botanical 
Garden Bulletin 
Vol. VIII St. Louis, Mo., November, 1920 No. 9 
HATS FROM PLANTS 
Of the many economic uses to which plants are put, one of 
the oldest is the manufacture of hats. The fibers obtained 
from the stem and leaves of many tropical and subtropical 
grasses and palms lend themselves admirably for this pur- 
pose, and primitive races long ago recognized the value of 
such material for the making of hats as well as other articles 
of clothing. Most of the plants which have been used for hat 
making are included in the Garden collection, and those in the 
following list marked with an asterisk may be found in either 
the economic garden or among the exotic plants in the Garden 
ereenhouses. 
GRASSES 
The order Gramineae, noteworthy for its many edible 
products such as wheat, barley, rice, corn, sugar, ete., pos- 
sesses many plants used in the manufacture of both hats and 
paper. 
*The sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum) occurs both wild 
and cultivated throughout tropical and subtropical Asia. Its 
cultivation extended to Persia in the early Middle Ages and 
was carried by the Arabs into Sicily, Cyprus, Spain and 
Italy. The plant soon became widely known for its economic 
products and by the sixteenth century had been introduced 
into the New World. At the present time it is grown com- 
mercially in the West Indies, Mauritius, British Guiana, 
Cuba, Natal, Australia, Java, India, southern United States, 
and the Philippines. In Europe it is successfully cultivated 
only in Malaga, Spain. In Tahiti and the Islands of Samoa 
the long slender leaves are used in making hats similar in 
shape to the common stiff straw hats. 
*The esparto grass (Stipa tenacissima) is a native of Spain, 
Italy and northern Africa. It was used by the Romans for 
cordage and is now employed in hat and paper making. In 
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