Abroma august a ( Sterculiaceae ). 
A shrub about 6 feet tall with lobed or entire leaves, dull purple 
hanging flowers, and large spreading capsules covered inside with 
irritating hairs. t It is not uncommon about the limestone rocks in 
Selangor, Pahang, Perak, and sometimes occurring in waste ground. 
It is not, however, a plant which establishes itself very readily, though 
it is easy to grow it from seed. It is said to be cultivated in India. 
The fibre is obtained from the bark of the twigs, and the plant gives 
in India three crops a year. The fibre is very good and strong and 
it is suggested that it might be used for silk. It is much stronger 
than sunnhemp. 
The fibre, however, seems to have been quite neglected even in 
India, where it is abundant, and I do not think the plant is known 
to the Malays. I do not know any native name for it, nor have I 
ever heard of its having been put to any use. 
Triumfetta rhomboidea ( Tiliaceoe .) 
A very common slender shrubby weed with small yellow flowers, 
common in dry places in villages, coco-nut estates, etc. The Malays 
call it Champadang. The fibre is said to be used in Madras and is 
soft and glossy. It is allied to the jute plant, and if it could be 
cultivated readily it might be worked in the same way. It does not 
seem to be utilised here. 
Abrus precatorius L. (Leguminosee ) . 
The well known climbing vetch with scarlet and black seeds, 
known as crab's eyes, common on our shores, and Vigua Katjang , 
the KachangPerut Aynth, commonly cultivated for the beans, have 
both been utilized for fibre. The latter, in America, where it is 
largely grown for food, gave a good binding twine, and it was 
suggested by Dr. Mason that the limes' should be utilized as well. 
It was doubtful, however, as- to whether it could be extracted so as - 
to pay commercially as it would be more troublesome to extract 
and work as it is not a straight fibre like hemp. 
Poederia foetida ( Rubiacea ?). 
A climbing plant with lavender-colored flowers, very common in 
India but less so here. The cut stem's are barked, twisted and the 
fibre pulled away. The plant is a perennial and the stems can be 
cut down when it will shoot up again. The fibre is strong, flexible, 
and silky. 'It does not seem, however, to have ever been much 
used, and some machinery would have to be invented for it. 
Pachyrizas angulatus 
The yam-bean, “ Bengkuang ” of the Malays, often cultivated in 
the Straits also produces a fibre from its turning stems. It is tough 
and used for fishing nets in Fiji. 
Gleichenia linearis. 
The common Resam fern produces also a fibre extracted by the 
Malays with a considerable amount of labour for ornamental binding 
