34 



FIBRES 



Owing to their great strength, fibres are of considerable 

 economic importance, being used for the manufacture of 

 textiles, rope, etc. They are usually prepared from herbaceous 

 plants by removing the softer tissues or allowing them to rot 



EJ.S. 



FIG. 1 6. Collenchyma of Dead Nettle stem in longitudinal section (A), 

 and fibres from the stem of the Hop in transverse (B) and longi- 

 tudinal sections (C, D). c.c., cell cavity ; c.w., cell-wall ; /, fibres ; 

 p, parenchyma. 



away. Important fibre-yielding plants are the Flax (Linum 

 usitatissimum) , New Zealand Flax (Phormium tenax), Hemp 

 (Cannabis sativd), Jute (species of Cor chorus, mainly cultivated 

 in Bengal), whilst Raffia-tape or bast is obtained from the Palm 



