Table FC-1. List of fiber crops which are sources of textile, netting, and cordage fibers grouped by type of fiber.
| COMMON NAMES | FAMILY | SCIENTIFIC NAME |
| a. Surface Fibers | ||
| Cotton | Malvaceae | Gossypium spp. |
| – Sea-Island cotton, Egyptian cotton | Gossypium barbadense | |
| – Upland cotton, bulak, gapas, algodon | Gossypium hirsutum | |
| – Tree cotton | Gossypium arboreum | |
| – Levant cotton | Gossypium herbaceum | |
| b. Soft or Bast Fibers | ||
| 1. Flax | Linaceae | Linum usitatissimum |
| 2. Hemp, marijuana | Cannabis sativa | |
| 3. Jute | Malvaceae | Corchorus capsularis |
| – Jute, saluyot, tagabang | Corchorus olitorius | |
| 4. Ramie | Urticaceae | Boehmeria nivea |
| 5. Sunn hemp | Leguminosae/Fabaceae | Crotalaria juncea |
| 6. Kenaf | Malvaceae | Hibiscus cannabinus |
| 7. China Jute, Indian Mallow | Malvaceae | Abutilon theophrasti |
| 8. Roselle, Rama | Malvaceae | Hibiscus sabdariffa |
| 9. Aramina, Cadillo, Calut-calutan | Malvaceae | Urena lobata |
| c. Hard or Structural Fibers | ||
| 1. Abaca, Manila Hemp | Musaceae | Musa textilis |
| 2. Agaves | Agavaceae/Asparagaceae* | Agave spp. |
| – Henequen or Mexican Sisal | Agave fourcroydes | |
| – Sisal, Century plant | Agave sisalana | |
| – Maguey, Manila maguey, Cantala | Agave cantala | |
| 3. Mauritius Hemp, False agave, green aloe, giant cabuya | Agavaceae/ Asparagaceae* | Furcraea gigantea, F. foetida; Others: Furcraea macrophylla, F. cabuya, F. hexapetales |
| 4. New Zealand Flax, New Zealand Hemp | Hemerocallidaceae/ Xanthorrhoeaceae* | Phormeum tenax |
| 5. Bowstring Hemp | Ruscaceae/ Asparagaceae* | Sansevieria spp., e.g. S. thyrsiflora, S. roxburghiana, S. zelanica, S. longifolia (Florida bowstring hemp) |
| 6. Coconut | Palmae/Arecaceae | Cocos nucifera |
| 7. Pineapple | Bromeliaceae | Ananas comosus |
| 8. Floja | Bromeliaceae | Aechmea magdalenae |
| 9. Caroá | Bromeliaceae | Neoglaziovia variegata |
* Changes have occurred in which several families have been expanded to include previously distinct families.
The 2009 classification system of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG III) places the family Agavaceae, Ruscaceae, and others in an expanded Asparagaceae (Simpson 2010).
The primary source of the list of fiber crops according to the type of fiber: Hill (1972).
Addendum: Black fibers from the hair-like margins of the leaf sheaths of sugar palm or kaong have been used in making ropes that are resistant to seawater.
REFERENCES
- FRANCIS JK. 2003. Furcraea foetida (L.) Haw. Retrieved December 16, 2011 from http://www.fs.fed.us/global/iitf/pdf/shrubs/Furcraea%20foetida.pdf.
- HILL AF. 1972. Economic Botany: A Textbook of Useful Plants and Plant Products. 2nd ed. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Ltd. p. 18-51.
- MERRILL ED. 1912. A Flora of Manila. Manila: Bureau of Printing. 491 p.
- MOORE R, CLARK WD, VODOPICH DS. 2003. Botany. 2nd ed. International Student Edition. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 919 p.
- SIMPSON MG. 2010. Plant Systematics. 2nd ed. San Diego, CA, USA: Elsevier Inc. 740 p.
