136 USEFUL FIBER PLANTS OF THE WORLD. 



Structural Fiber. — The leaves are made into fans. mats, and umbrellas, and are 

 used for writing on. They are also largely employed for thatching. Roxburgh 

 remarks that the leaves "are used to tie the rafters" of native houses, as they are 

 "said to be strong and durable.'' It seems probable that after removing the edible 

 pulp from the interior of the stem the long fibrovascular cords might bo used as a 

 substitute for kittul, similar to the fibers extracted from the stem of Caryota ureas. 

 These fibers are reported to be softer and more pliable than those found at the bases 

 of the leaves. (Wait.) 



Specimens of the fiber obtained from the Ceylon exhibit, W. C. E., 1893. Princi- 

 pally used as a thatch or covering for tea houses. In the Official Handbook of 

 Ceylon (W. C. E., 1893) it is stated that this palm is never now found in the forests, 

 as it is a cultivated species. "'This last palm is one of the glories of our flora, reach- 

 ing, when fully grown and in flower, to 100 feet in height, of which some 20 feet are 

 occupied by the great pyramidal flower head. It belongs to that group of palms 

 which flower but once; in this case after about forty-five to fifty years' growth, and 

 die after ripening the seed." 



Spon mentions C. australis as the Australian cabbage palm, but this is the same 

 as Livistona. The leaves, which are of great size, yield a fiber by simply splitting 

 them longitudinally. This is employed in "the manufacture of hats, baskets, net- 

 ting, clothing, etc." 



* Specimens. — U. S. Nat. Mus.; Mus. U.S. Dept. Ag. 



Cos (Oeyl.). See Artocarpus. See also Cos, p. 12. 

 Coscinium fenestratum. Weni-wel op Ceylon. 



Exogen. Menispermacea\ Climber. 

 This strong, woody, scandent species is found in great abundance in the moist 

 districts of Ceylon between sea level and 3,500 feet altitude. In the Die. Ec. Prod. 

 Ind. there is mention of the plant as yielding a yellow dye and medicine, but of no 

 other economic use. In the Handbook of* Ceylon (W. C. E., 1893) it is stated that 

 the freshly cut stems or vines are made into a strong rope by twisting, and largely 

 used by the natives for tying cattle. The species is included in Bernardin's list. 



Costus afer. 



Credited to Africa. Many of the species of Costus are ornamental greenhouse 

 plants. Fiber, 3 feet 6 inches in length. Mentioned in lists of Bernardin and the 

 Flax and Hemp Commission of 1863. 



Cotton. Species, cultivation, etc. See Gossypium. 

 Cotton grass. EHophorum latifolium. 

 Cotton, Silk, or Vegetable silk. Species of. 



This substance is produced in the seed pods of many species of plants in different 

 parts of the world. They are variously named and in past time much confusion 

 has existed in regard to their nomenclature. As they are treated in this catalogue 

 under their botanical names, the following list of principal species should be referred 

 to for detailed description: 



Aschpias syriaca and incarnata, milk weed, silk weed, etc. Temperate North 

 America. 



Asdepias curassavica. I'latanillo, Venezuela and India. 



Bombax ceiba. Tropical America. 



Bonibax cumanensis. Lana del tambor. Venezuela. 



Bombax malabaricum. India and Burma. 



Bombax munguba. South America. 



Bombax pubescen 8. South America. 



Bombax villosum. Mexico. 



