Herbs, Shrubs, or Trees That Produce Stem or Bast Fibers

Vocabulary flashcards covering Philippine fiber-producing plants, including species of bast fibers, salago varieties, climbing aroids, and tree fiber sources.

Bast fibers

Bundles of fibers formed at the fibro-vascular region of the trunk (phloem or inner bark) that translocate food materials from leaves and provide structural strength to the plant stalk.

Bamban

Donax cannaeformis (Forst.) K. Schum. of the family Marantaceae; an erect, clump-forming shrub $3\text{ to }4\,\text{m}$ high with cylindrical stems used for weaving mats, hats, baskets, and bags.

Small leaf salago

Wikstroemia indica (L.) C.E. Mey.; a shrub $1\text{ to }3\,\text{m}$ high with leathery opposite leaves $1.5\text{ to }7\,\text{cm}$ long, small yellow axillary flowers, and fruits that turn red when ripe.

Lance-leaf salago

Wikstroemia lanceolata Merr.; a shrub $1\text{ to }2\,\text{m}$ high (reaching over $3\,\text{m}$) with smooth, lanceolate opposite leaves $4\text{ to }8\,\text{cm}$ long pointed at both ends.

Large-leaf salago

Wikstroemia meyeniana Warb.; a shrub $1\text{ to }2\,\text{m}$ high with opposite leaves $6\text{ to }12\,\text{cm}$ long, greenish yellow flowers $1.5\text{ to }2\,\text{cm}$ long, and rounded red ripe fruits.

Round leaf salago

Wikstroemia ovata E. Mey.; a shrub $1\text{ to }3\,\text{m}$ high with smooth opposite leaves $5\text{ to }10\,\text{cm}$ long rounded at the base, and fruits $1\,\text{cm}$ long.

Salago (Money Tree)

Shrubs belonging to the family Thymelaeaceae whose high-potential bark fibers are exported to Japan for manufacturing currency, bank notes, and specialty papers.

Malaboho

Sterculia oblongata R. Br. of the family Malvaceae; a small to medium-sized tree up to $12\,\text{m}$ tall and $70\,\text{cm}$ in diameter with leaves $12\text{ to }20\,\text{cm}$ long crowded at the tip.

Climbing Aroids

Monocotyledonous vines belonging to the family Araceae that cling to tropical trees and produce prominent aerial roots.

Climbing Roots

Aerial roots of climbing aroids that are insensitive to gravity, display negative heliotropism, cling closely to support tree stems, and creep into bark crevices.

Absorbent Roots

Aerial roots of climbing aroids that are insensitive to light, respond markedly to gravity, and grow straight down to the soil to provide nourishment.

Lukmoy

Scindapsus curanii Engl. & Krausse; a climbing aroid whose inner root core serves as an excellent rattan substitute for weaving handcrafted products like baskets and hats.

Amlong

Epipremnum pinnatum (L.) Engl. (syn. Raphidophora merrillii Engl.); a climbing aroid whose root core is used for handcrafted items, sap for snakebites, and spadix as an emmenagogue.

Dugtong

Pothos scandens L. (syn. Pothos hermaphroditus (Blanco) Merr.); a vine with leaf-like petioles and no absorbent aerial roots, whose roots and stems are used for making coiled baskets.

Bolong kahinai

Pothoidium lobbianum Schott; a vine with compound inflorescences and dense drooping branches, used for basket making, fish corral tying, and centipede bite remedies.

Kalimatas

A small tree growing up to $15\,\text{m}$ in height with ovate-lanceolate leaves $10\text{ to }20\,\text{cm}$ long, minute triangular sepals, and bark used for tying.

Dugtong-ahas

A woody vine with oblong or obovate-lanceolate leaves $7\text{ to }10\,\text{cm}$ long, small white clustered flowers, and slender fruits $15\text{ to }20\,\text{cm}$ long.

Malabulak

A large tree $25\text{ to }30\,\text{m}$ tall with trunk diameter up to $3\,\text{m}$ covered in conical prickles, large red flowers $8\text{ to }10\,\text{cm}$ long, and woody capsules containing silky seeds.

Anabiong

A small tree $5\text{ to }8\,\text{m}$ high with 3-nerved, finely toothed leaves, providing bast for rope and pulp/paper production, leaves/bark for dyes, and light wood for shoes and boxes.

Kansasaga

Abrus precatorius of the family Fabaceae; a woody climber up to $6\text{ to }9\,\text{m}$ long with stems reaching $1.5\,\text{cm}$ in diameter and $16\text{ to }34$ oblong leaflets.

Bani

Millettia pinnata (syn. Pongamia pinnata); a smooth tree $8\text{ to }25\,\text{m}$ tall with compound leaves, fragrant flowers, woody beaked pods $5\text{ to }7\,\text{cm}$ long, illuminant seed oil, and poisonous roots/seeds used on fish.