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 



H 



u 



R 



D 



EJ.S. 



Fig. i6. — CoUenchyma 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.to., cell-wall ; /, fibres ; 

 p, parenchyma. 



away. Important fibre-yielding plants are the Flax {Limim 



jisitatissimiim), New Zealand Flax (PJwrmhini ienax), Hemp 



[Cannabis saliva), Jute (species of CorcJwrus, mainly cultivated 



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



