g4 PHILIPPINE FIBER PLANTS 



The bast fiber of Urena lobata is of the jute type and is said 

 to be more easily extracted than the latter. It has been re- 

 peatedly recommended as a substitute and has been sold in 

 London at prices equal to those paid for jute. A large mill for 

 the treatment of this fiber was put up in Brazil. In this case 

 the wild supply proved to be wholly insufficient, and it is said 

 that under cultivation the plant lost a great part of its fibrous 

 nature. 



In India considerable attention has been paid to the fiber of 

 Urena lobata, and various writers have expressed the opinion 

 that when as much care has been spent on it as on jute, Urena 

 may be equally as valuable or more valuable than jute. 



References to the literature on this subject are given by King.* 

 The bulletins of the Imperial Institute should also be consulted. 



Rope made from the fibers of Urena lobata is fairly strong. 

 In India and other countries the product is used as a cordage 

 material. In the manufacture of coffee bags it is said to be an 

 excellent substitute for jute, because the fiber has no influence 

 on the aroma of the coffee. Urena lobata fibers can be made 

 into exceedingly strong paper, said to be almost twice as strong as 

 Bank of England note pulp. 



Urena lobata is an erect, branched, somewhat hairy shrub 0.6 

 to 2.5 meters in height. The leaves are alternate, pale beneath, 

 3 to 9 centimeters long, heart-shaped at the base, usually lobed, 

 and with toothed margins. The flowers are pink or purplish 

 and about 1.7 centimeters in diameter. The fruits are about 

 7 millimeters in diam.eter and are covered with short, barbed 

 spines. 



This species is common in waste places throughout the Phil- 

 ippines, and thrives under adverse conditions. 



Family BOMBACACEAE 



Genus BOMBAX 

 BOMBAX CEIBA Linn. MalabulaK. 



Local names: Bobor, taroktok (Iloko) ; babui-gubat (Rizal, Mindoro) ; 

 malabulak (Nueva Ecija, Bataan, Manila, Rizal, Laguna). 



The bast of this tree is colored orange buff and is used for 

 making ropes. It has a fair degree of tenacity, but is too scarce 

 to be commonly used for rope making. Ropes made from it are 

 said to be suitable for use in the dry season. King found the 

 rope to have a tensile strength of 405 kilos per square centi- 

 meter, which was decreased 13 per cent by wetting. 



'' King, A. E, W., Mechanical properties of Philippine bast fiber rope. 

 Philippine Journal of Science, Volume XIV (1919). 



