150 



USEFUL FIBER PLANTS OF THE WORLD. 



situations, where its leaves sometimes attain a length of 6 feet. He considered the 

 fiber good, and excellent for paper stock. The specimen preserved much of its grass- 

 like form, having been prepared experimentally in a simple manner. Some of the 

 filaments were white and brilliant, quite strong; a few fibers twisted together 

 required quite an effort to break them. Its name does not appear in the list of use- 

 ful textile fibers, from which it is to be inferred it has not hitherto been known as a 

 fiber-producing plant of any value. 



In Dr. Guilfoyle's recently published brochure, Fibers from Plants, Indigenous 

 and Introduced, four other species are mentioned: />. ccerulea; 1). elegans, D. Icevis, 

 and 1). revoluta. 



^Specimen. — Mus. U. S. Dept. Ag. 



mSA s 



«~~5§^ 



~^ 



*m 









WMR 



w/m '% 



Fig. 48.— Tree fern, Dicksonia. 



Dichelachne crinata. Horsetail Grass. 



A tough grass, universally diffused over extra-tropical Australia, and occurring 

 also in New Zealand. 



According to Dr. Ferd. von Mueller, this species yields a tenacious paper, especially 

 fit tobeusedforthinAvrapping or packing paper. It is notunlikelyto make fair print- 

 ing and the less costly kinds of writing and tissue paper. 



Dicksonia culcita. 



This species is mentioned by Hillebrand in the Flora of Hawaii. See under 

 Cibotium, where several allied species of tree ferns, snpplying"the Pulu of commerce, 

 arc described. Fig. 48 is a species <>f Dicksonia in the U. S. Botanical (hardens. 





