392 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. Uvena 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 diameter 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: Bobér, tarokt6k (Iloko); bibui-gibat (Rizal, Mindoro) ; 
malabilak (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). 
