78 



TEXTILE FIBRES. 



distinguish them without a strict examination, and that even with a 

 glass, unless he observes the branching of it." This interesting plant 

 may be seen growing from a suspended block of wood in the No. 9 

 Tropical Stove House at the Royal Gardens, Kew. 



Vegetable Silk (Beaumontia grand-flora, Apocynacese). A climbing 

 plant growing wild in the Himalayas and other parts of India, The 

 seed hairs or plumose fibres are from half an inch to an inch long. 

 The fibres are easily detached from the seeds, and have a white silky 

 lustre. A good example of this plant may be seen climbing up a 

 wire trellis in the Temperate House of the Royal Gardens, Kew. 



Fig. 49. Silk Grass Plant (Furcrea cubensis). 



Sir J. D. Hooker, in his Himalayan Journals, mentions this plant as 

 follows : " The magnificent apocyneous Beaumontia was in full bloom, 

 ascending the loftiest trees, and clothing their trunks with its splendid 

 foliage and festoons of enormous funnel-shaped flowers." Evidently 

 Sir Joseph was captivated by the splendid foliage and magnificent flowers, 

 and probably the silky fibrous seed-coverings were not then conspicuous. 



Vegetable Silk (Stroplianthus, Apocynaceae). This is a vegetable 

 silk, of which there are several interesting species, all peculiar for 

 plumose silky fibres, which aid the dispersion of the seeds by the 

 wind. The species which produces this vegetable silk is rather 

 doubtful at present. It is no easy matter to name species of vegetable 

 silk fibres at a glance with the naked eye, even by the most expert 



