Abacá
Appearance
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/AmCyc_Manila_Hemp.jpg/220px-AmCyc_Manila_Hemp.jpg)
Abacá (/ɑːbəˈkɑː/ ah-bə-KAH; Filipino: Abaka [ɐbɐˈka]), binomial name Musa textilis, is a type of banana. It is native to the Philippines.[1] It is grown as a commercial crop in the Philippines, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. The plant, also known as Manila hemp.[1] It is very important to the economy. It is harvested for its fiber, also called Manila hemp, extracted from the leaf-stems.[2]
The plant grows to 13–22 feet (4.0–6.7 m), and averages about 12 feet (3.7 m). The fiber was originally used for making twines and ropes. It is used in a variety of paper products including tea bags, filter paper and banknotes.[3]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Agricultural Research Services Botanists 1995
- ↑ "Musa textilis Née — The Plant List". www.theplantlist.org. Archived from the original on 2017-08-05. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
- ↑ "(research) Plant Molecular Biology and Plant Virology « National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology". 2013-12-03. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2021-04-22.