Manila hemp

For the plant the fiber is from, see Abacá.

The packaging of manila hemp (Musa textilis) into bales at Kali Telepak, Besoeki, East Java.

Manila hemp, also known as manilla, is a type of fiber obtained from the leaves of the abacá (Musa textilis), a relative of the banana. It is mostly used for pulping for a range of uses, including speciality papers. It was once used mainly to make manila rope,^[1] but this is now of minor importance. Manila envelopes and manila paper take their name from this fibre.^[2][3]

It is not actually hemp, but named so because hemp was long a major source of fibre, and other fibres were sometimes named after it. The name refers to the capital of the Philippines, one of the main producers of abacá.^[2][3]

References

1. ^ "Manila hemp". Transport Information Service, Gesamtverband der Deutschen Versicherungswirtschaft e.V.. http://www.tis-gdv.de/tis_e/ware/fasern/manila/manila.htm. Retrieved May 15, 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b} H. T. Edwards, B. E. Brewer, George E. Nesom, Otis Warren Barrett, William Scrugham Lyon, & Murad M. Saleeby (1904). "Abacá (manila hemp)". Farmers' bulletin (Bureau of Agriculture. Republic of the Philippines). 
3. ^ ^{a b} Katrien Hendrickx (1904). "The Origins of Banana-fibre Cloth in the Ryukyus, Japan". Farmers' bulletin. Studia anthropologica (Leuven University Press) 11: 170. ISBN 9789058676146. http://books.google.com/books?id=ULyu8dNqS1sC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false. 

External links

• Abaca Fiber (Manila Hemp)