Common Name: Bowstring Hemp

General Information

Bowstring hemp is a stemless evergreen perennial plant, producing succulent, erect, rigid leaves 15 - 45cm or more long and 25 - 80mm wide from a rhizomatous rootstock[]. The leaves can be up to 1.8 metres long[]. The flowering stem grows 45 - 75cm or more tall[].
The plant is gathered from the wild for the fibre obtained from its leaves. This is used locally. The plant is cultivated as a fibre crop in some parts of the tropics, especially tropical America[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

West tropical Africa - Zaire, Angola, Namibia.

Habitat

Not known

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Perennial
Height	1.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a sunny position in a well-drained soil[]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 7[]. Established plants are very drought tolerant[].
Annual yields of 5 - 11 tonnes of fibre per hectare have been postulated[].
The plant can spread freely at the roots.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

A good quality fibre is obtained from the leaves[]. It is very bright, clean and strong[]. The fibre is suitable for making fine twines, and could also be suitable for making a spinning fibre[]. Fibres of up to 2 metres long can be obtained from the leaves[].

Propagation

Seed -
Division of the rootstock.
Leaf cuttings. Cut the leaf into sections about 5cm long, place in a 2:1 mix of sand and peat in a propagating case with a bottom heat of 18°c[].

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