360 PHILIPPINE FIBER PLANTS 
throughout the Archipelago. In some islands, particularly in 
parts of Palawan, it has become thoroughly naturalized. In 
the Philippines a very fine and highly prized cloth, known as 
pina, is made from the fibers of the pineapple leaves. The 
production of the fiber and the manufacture of the cloth is 
chiefly confined to the island of Panay, the center of the in- 
dustry being the towns in the vicinity of Iloilo. When grown 
for fibers, pineapples are closely crowded in planting, the ob- 
ject being the production of long leaves. Pina cloth, either 
plain or embroidered, is exported in considerable quantities. 
Family JUNCACEAE 
Genus JUNCUS 
JUNCUS EFFUSUS L. (Plate XX). PINGGOT or MATTING RUSH. 
Local name: Pinggot (Bontoc). 
According to Muller *, experiments conducted at Baguio 
showed that a fine straw could be prepared from the coarse 
stalks. This is done by splitting them, removing the pulp, and 
drying the straws quickly in the sun so as to make them curl 
up. Flat straws can be prepared by removing the pulp, flat- 
tening the stalks, and drawing them between the thumb and 
a piece of wood. 
Juncus effusus has round stalks a meter or more in length. 
The base of the stalk is surrounded by short sheathing leaves. 
The seeds are small and yellow and occur in brownish capsules, 
which ultimately divide into three parts. 
This species is found growing in marshes on the mountains 
from Luzon to Mindanao. 
Family LILIACEAE 
Genus SANSEVIERIA 
SANSEVIERIA ZEYLANICA (L.) Willd. SINAWA. 
Local names: Aspe-dspe (Pampanga); banydt, kaliot, sigre (Nueva 
Vizcaya) ; buntit-palos (Tayabas); kakarohai, pakarohai, tigi (Isabela) ; 
lengua de le6n (Sorsogon); rabo de leén (Ilocos Norte, Union); rabo de 
tigre (Antique); sabilad (Iloilo); sinawa (Nueva Ecija); tigre (Laguna, 
Bohol). 
The fiber of this plant is used only occasionally in the Philip- 
pines. It is sometimes mixed with pifa in weaving fabrics. 
The fiber is very strong and, according to Dodge 7, is used by 

* Muller, T., Industrial fiber plants of the Philippines. Bureau of 
Education Bulletin Number 49 (1913), page 60. 
+ Dodge, C. R., A descriptive catalogue of useful fiber plants of the 
world. U. S. Department of Agriculture. Fiber investigations. Report 
No. 9 (1897), page 290. 
