leaf fibre

leaf fibre, hard, coarse fibre obtained from leaves of monocotyledonous plants (flowering plants that usually have parallel-veined leaves, such as grasses, lilies, orchids, and palms), used mainly for cordage. Such fibres, usually long and stiff, are also called “hard” fibres, distinguishing them from the generally softer and more flexible fibres of the bast, or “soft,” fibre group. Commercially useful leaf fibres include abaca, cantala, henequen, Mauritius hemp, phormium, and sisal. See list of plant fibres.

Leaf fibre is mainly obtained from sword-shaped leaves that are thick, fleshy, and often hard-surfaced, such as those of plants of the agave subfamily (Agavoideae), a major source. The leaves are strengthened and supported by fibre bundles, often several feet long, composed of many overlapping sclerenchyma cells, or true plant fibres, held together by gummy substances. The fibre generally traverses the length of the leaf and is often densest near the leaf undersurface. Leaves of the abaca plant, with fibre bundles concentrated in the stalks, are an exception.

The leaves are hand-harvested, and their fibre is separated from the surrounding leaf tissue by decortication, a hand or machine scraping or peeling process, then cleaned and dried. The released fibre bundles, or strands, are not separated into individual fibre cells and are called fibres in the trade.

Leaf fibres are chiefly employed for such cordage as rope and twine. They may also be used for woven fabrics, usually requiring no spinning for this purpose. Sisal, abaca, and henequen lead in world production. Many potentially useful leaf fibres remain unexploited because of the limitations of existing cultivation and processing methods and the increased use of synthetic fibres for cordage.