46 TEXTILE FIBRES. 



West Indies, where it grows plentifully. The fibres prepared from this 

 plant are weak and of little commercial value. It is a very old plant, and 

 was introduced into England in 1690 from the West Indies. Evidently 

 it was thought at one time that it might rank as a fibre-producing 

 plant. 



Piripiri Fibre (Pipturus argenteus, Urticaceae). This is a fibre 

 mentioned by Mr R. T. Simons, H.M. Consul in Tahiti, who, when 

 referring to it, says : " Pipturus is a species of nettle like ' ramie,' and 

 contains a fibre of better quality than the ' Parao,' but it is more diffi- 

 cult to obtain, as the plant is less plentiful in these regions. The 

 processes employed in the extraction of its fibre is similar to that of 

 Parao, and the cost of production is unknown, as the material has never 

 been purchased for export and has so far been only used locally." 



Poplar Down (Populus, Salicaceae). This downy material, is pro- 

 duced on the female catkins of the Populus macropliyllus or the Ontario 

 poplar, and some other species. The down has a snowy-white colour, 

 and can be seen at a considerable distance. Its pure whiteness gives 

 it a resemblance to cotton fibres, for which it has been mistaken by 

 townspeople in their country walks. The downy fibres are soon blown 

 away when the seeds are ripe. This down was used by Scheffer for the 

 making of paper. It could be employed for stuffing purposes in some 

 cases. 



Pummu Fibre (Sida carpinifolia, Malvaceae). From the stems of 

 this plant a fine fibre of a silky staple has been obtained, but so far it has 

 not come into general use. The plant is a native of the Canary Islands, 

 and was introduced into England as an ornamental plant in 1774. Its 

 leaves are ovate, oblong, doubly serrate, resembling those of the Horn- 

 beam, hence its specific name carpinifoUa. It is related to the cotton 

 plant, and placed by botanists in the Mallow family. 



Puya Fibre (Manotia puya). The fibres obtained from the stems of 

 this plant have been mentioned by Mr George Watts, Professor of 

 Botany at the Calcutta University. He says : "It possesses very few of 

 the difficulties so hard to overcome in Rhea, and men who have experi- 

 mented with it have pronounced it far more easy to deal with than the 

 true Rhea. It is a wild plant in India, and could be produced in any 

 quantity. 



Eajmahal Hemp (Marsdenia tenacissima, Asclepiadacese). This 

 is an Indian climbing plant, the stem of which yields a good strong fibre 

 of silky lustre, used for making bowstrings, fine ropes, twine, and for 

 other purposes. The plant belongs to the Asclepiadacea3 or Swallow-wort 

 family. 



Rameta Bast (Lasiosiphon speciosus). A tree indigenous to the 



