DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 191 



recorded as yielding fiber. The principal species are fully described in the appro- 

 priate place under their scientific names, and it will only be necessary to give brief 

 mentions to a few of the others that have been recorded in the literature of the sub- 

 ject. Among the earlier specimens of fiber received by the Department are those 

 from R. rosa-sinensis, the Chinese rose, and II. liliifiorus, source unknown. Speci- 

 mens of the following species were received from the Australian exhibits of the 

 Phil. Int. Exh., 1876: H. sorbifolia, II. tetracus, and H. mutabilis. A Victorian species 

 is H. heterophyllu8, "the bark of Avhich is rich in fiber of good quality." (Dr. 

 Guilfoyle.) The two first named species are not found in the Kew Index, but Dr. 

 Guilfoyle's label names are retained on the specimens in the museum, and so referred 

 to here. 



Spon mentions Indian species as follows : H. furcatus is found in the southern 

 province of India and in the interior of Bengal. The bark yields an abundance of 

 strong white fibers ; a line broke at 89 pounds dry and 92 pounds wet. The stems are 

 cut when the plant is flowering, and steeped at once. H. Jiculneus, native of Bengal, 

 with a straight stem 6 to 14 feet high, and very smooth bark, thrives luxuriantly 

 with little or no care, yet is very little cultivated for its fiber. The seed is sown in 

 beds in May, and when the plants are 6 inches high they are set out in rows, 

 9 inches apart each way. The luxuriant growth and habits of the plant commend it 

 to serious attention. H. vitifolius, common all over India, is a wild plant yielding a 

 very white, fine and strong fiber, extracted by retting. Other Indian species from 

 which fiber has been extracted are: H. collinus, H. surattensis, and H. tricuspis. 

 H. ludwigii is a native of south Africa, and yields a fiber of great toughness. H. sul- 

 pliureus is a Venezuela species mentioned in Dr. Ernst's list of fibers. Many others 

 might be named, but the present list will suffice. 



Vetillart states that the fiber of Hibiscus, when minutely examined in glycerin, 

 appears as a bundle, the filaments strongly united together, so much so that they are 

 with difficulty separated even after treatment in an alkaline solution. The fibers 

 are short, stiff, and brittle; of sufficient fineness, but irregular in size, even in the 

 same specimens. The central cavity, usually narrow, is prominent ; cells generally 

 terminating in fringed points, sometimes having notches or sinuosities in their out- 

 lines; some are large, ribboned, and creased, the exterior surface striated. These 

 last have very slender walls, which explain the creases. Viewed transversely with 

 a high power the fibers are seen to be polygonal, with sharp angles and straight 

 sides, the polygons pressed compactly together. The walls are thick and the central 

 cavity round or oval. 



Hibiscus abelmoschus. The Musk Mallow. 



Exogen. Malvaceae. A herbaceous bush. 



Common throughout the hotter parts of India, two forms being recognized in the 

 Indian Elora, var. 1, multiformis, and var. 2, betulifolius, according to George Watt. 



Bast Fiber. — In a series of experiments made by the Agricultural Horticultural 

 Society of India, at the request of the Government, it was shown that the fiber of H. 

 abelmoschus yielded the best crop of all fiber-yielding plants under experiment. With 

 a Death and Ellwood machine a yield of 800 pounds of fiber to the acre was recorded. 

 The society arrived at the conclusion that the cultivation of this plant offered no 

 advantages over jute. 



Hibiscus arboreus. The Mahatjt. 



I have not been able to verify this species. Described by Squier as growing to the 

 height of 16 to 18 feet. He states that "its bark is tough, and not much, if at all, 

 inferior to hemp for many purposes ; white, soft, and apparently adapted to the man- 

 ufacture of paper. Uses locally for making ropes." "The celebrated Cuban bast- 

 wood, the bark of which furnishes a coarse but strong cordage, in universal use 

 wherever a rope or string is needed and which is not a bad substitute for chains; 



