290 USEFUL FIBER PLANTS OF THE WORLD. 



somewhat interesting remark: "I am inclined to think that the fine line called 

 China grass, which is employed for fishing lines, fiddle strings, etc., is made of these 

 fibers." (Roxburgh thus would seem to have regarded China grass and Rhea as two 

 widely distinct fibers.) In his experiments 80 pounds of the fresh haves yielded 1 

 pound of clean, dry fiber. He therefore concluded that the plant might be cultivated 

 with advantage on account of its fiber. {George Watt.) It is, in fact, easily cul- 

 tivated. The fiber is used for the preparation of cordage and matting in the regions 

 where it occurs, and is much valued in Europe for ropes used in deep-sea dred^ings. 

 Has been used for paper but is too expensive a fiber for this use. The fiber is pliant, 

 soft, and silky, and much resembles that of the pineapple. It is usually prepared by 

 taking the fresh leaves and placing one of them on a smooth board which is raised 

 at one end. The lower end of the leaf is then pressed down by the toe of the work- 

 man, who squats on the plank, and with a blunt knife, or piece of iron plate scrapes 

 upward along the surface of the leaf and thus deprives it of its fleshy pulp by suc- 

 cessive scrapings, turning the leaf over and over, as may be necessary. When the 

 pulp is thorough* removed, the fiber is washed for three or four minutes, and dried 

 in the shade. Washing in brackish or salt water, or continuous soaking in water is 

 said to destroy the glossy white appearance of this fiber. 



Sansevieria zeylanica. The Neyanda. 



Another Indian species cultivated in Ceylon. Commonly cultivated in greenhouses, 

 in the United States, and readily known by its shorter, darker leaves, heavily mot- 

 tled or banded with white. The leaves are semicircular in transverse section, 1 to 2 

 feet long, dull green with a red margin, and copiously banded with white. The Sin- 

 ghalese use the fiber in numerous ways for string, ropes, mats, and a coarse kind of 

 cloth. Generally the fiber is prepared by retting or by r-imply beating and washing. 

 The small size of the leaves, and the difficulty of handling them in large quantities, 

 would render this species of less value commercially than any of the preceding. 

 In the Handbook of Ceylon, W. C. E., 1893. it is said that the plant grows in a wild 

 state in the dry, drought-stricken districts of the country. It is usually found grow- 

 ing among rocks, and affords a magnificent fiber of great strength. It is largely 

 made up into ornamental ropes by an outcast race of Singhalese called the Rhodias, 

 who do a small trade in this product. 



Sapindus saponaria. Soap Berry. 



Exogen. Sapindacea\ 



This genus consists of trees and shrubs found in the Tropics of both hemispheres. 

 The outer shell or covering of the fruit of the above species contains a saponaceous 

 principle that gives it its name. Found in tropical America. The plant is given in 

 Dr. Ernst's catalogue, with the common name Parapara. 



Fiber. — The bast of this species yields a coarse fiber, suitable for native cordage. 

 It is said to be cultivated in India. 



Sapucaya (Braz.). See LecytMs oJlaria. 



Sara, Sarapat, and Sarpatta (Hind, aud Beng.). See Saceharum sara. 



Sarali (Ind.). See Alnus nitida. 



Sarcochlamys pulcherrima. 



Syn. Urtica pulcherrima. 



This urticaceous species is described by the Die. Ec. Prod. Ind. as a bush or large 

 shrub, with a stem often as thick as a man's leg. It is found in Assam, tin- Khasia 

 Hills, Sylhet. Chittagong, and Burniah; distributed to Sumatra. Yields a dye, and 

 the bark gives a good liber lor ropes. 



Saw palmetto (Fla.). See Serenoa serrulata. 



