190 TROPICAL AGRICULTURE 



like trees 10 to 40 feet high, with aerial straddling roots at the 

 base of the trunk and tufted leaves usually with spiny edges. 

 The leaves are cut, allowed to dry, and slit into strips, after 

 which they are used for thatching and for the manufacture 

 of baskets, mats, cordage, etc. P. odoratissimus is widely used 

 in Hawaii for weaving the so-called lauhala mats. This is 

 one of the best materials for floor matting in Hawaii. The 

 leaves are either split in halves so as to remove the midrib 

 or are slit into narrower strips. If split in halves, the strips 

 are about one inch wide. These strips make a coarser mat- 

 ting which is not so expensive as matting made from ^4-inch 

 strips. The lauhala mats in the moist climate of the Tropics 

 are almost indestructible. When brought to dry climates 

 they require moistening occasionally to prevent them from 

 becoming brittle. 



The nipa palm (Nipa fruticans), a native of India, Andaman 

 Islands, etc., and generally distributed throughout the Tropics, 

 bears leaves which are much prized as material for making 

 hats, mattings, and various utensils. The nipa leaves are 

 probably the most durable of all palm leaves for thatching 

 purposes. 



Bear grass (Yucca filamentosa) and various other species 

 of Yucca have been used in the southwestern portion of the 

 United States and in several tropical countries as a source 

 of fiber suitable for coarse wrapping, sacking, fabrics and 

 cordage. Bear grass can hardly be said to be cultivated for 

 that purpose. For the most parts wild plants are used. The 

 leaves are cut from the plants on the arid plains where they 

 grow and are baled and shipped to cordage factories. 



Several species of palmetto palms furnish material which 

 is used for fiber for brushes and other purposes. Chamarops 

 humilis of Algeria and other Mediterranean countries bears 

 leaves which when shredded yield a vegetable hair or African 

 fiber useful as a substitute for curled hair. The tree attains 

 a height of 20 to 30 feet but is often dwarf. The leaves 



