Common name: Abaca

Abaca is a fibre producing plant native to the Philippines. It is a perennial herb closely related to and resembling the Banana (Musa acuminata), but unlike the Banana, does not produce edible fruit. 

Much like the Banana, however, it produces numerous suckers that grow to form clumps of stems up to 9 m (30 ft) tall. These stems are topped with large green leaves that make the whole plant almost indistinguishable from the Banana at a distance.

Though similar in shape to a banana and with a peel that becomes yellow when ripe, the fruit has inedible pulp embedded with small round seed.

The main centres of Abaca cultivation and fibre production are the Philippines, Indonesia and Central America.

Use

The leaf stalk yields a long fibre used for making a wide range of cordage, paper and textile products, including heavy-duty rope, speciality papers for envelopes, tea bags, cigarette filters, high-quality writing paper, currency notes and sausage casings, as well as fibre for woven cloth, textiles and woven handicraft, such as fashion or designer handbags. 

The fibres are up to 2 m (6.5 ft) long, soft, lustrous white and are reportedly the strongest of all vegetable fibres. It is one of the few natural fibres known to withstand prolonged exposure to saltwater and does not stiffen when wet, which has led to its use in making marine durable rope and cordage.

The fibre is tightly bound in the leaf stalks, which are harvested from felled stems and then stripped either by hand or machine. Yields range from 600 to 800 kg of processed fibre per hectare per year, the equivalent of 535 to 715 lbs per acre.

It is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental in tropical landscapes, including poolside plantings, where it is appreciated for its lush green foliage and banana-like appearance.

Climate

It has similar climate requirements to Banana, but is less productive in cool weather, growing best in humid tropical lowland climates, generally areas with annual lows of 20 to 25°C, annual highs of 29 to 35°C, annual rainfall of 1500 to 6000 mm and without a distinct dry season.

Growing

New plants are usually started from suckers taken from established clumps. The seed are not used because they do not always produce plants with the same characteristics as the parent.

It is a shade loving plant, and shade is required to maintain optimal temperatures and humidity for growth. Fast-growing shade trees, like those of the Erythrina, Leucaena and Sesbania species, are commonly interspersed in plantations to provide shade. Abaca takes one to two years to come into production and remains productive for up to fifteen years.

Problem features

It is listed as a weed in at least one reference publication. Still, there does not appear to be any records of it as a serious weed or of its escape and naturalisation anywhere in the world.

Books

• Brady, G. S. & Clauser, H. R & Vaccari, J. A. 2002, Materials handbook : an encyclopedia for managers, technical professionals, purchasing and production managers, technicians and supervisors, 15th ed., McGraw-Hill, New York

• Dewey, L. H. 1943, Fiber production in the western hemisphere, U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Washington D.C.

• Elevitch, C. R. 2006, Traditional trees of Pacific Islands: their culture, environment and use, 1st edition, Permanent Agriculture Resources, Holualoa, Hawaii

• Fawcett, W. 1891, Economic plants, An index to economic products of the vegetable kingdom in Jamaica, Jamaica Government Printing Establishment, Kingston

• Hill, A. F. 1952, Economic botany : a textbook of useful plants and plant products, 2nd ed, McGraw-Hill, New York

• Litzenberger, S. C. 1974, Guide for field crops in the tropics and the subtropics, Office of Agriculture, Technical Assistance Bureau, Agency for International Development (USAID), Washington D.C.

• McIlroy, R.J. 1963, An introduction to tropical cash crops, Ibadan University Press, Ibadan, Nigeria

• Müssig J. 2010, Industrial application of natural fibres : structure, properties, and technical applications, Wiley, Chichester, West Sussex, U.K. ; Hoboken, N.J

• Purseglove, J. W. 1981, Tropical crops: Monocotyledons, Longman, Harlow, London

• Wood, I. M. 1997, Fibre crops : new opportunities for Australian agriculture, Queensland Department of Primary Industries (QLD DPI), Brisbane