Manila hemp
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Manila hemp, also known as manilla, is a type of fiber obtained from the leaves of the abacá (Musa textilis), a relative of the banana. It is mostly used to make ropes and it is one of the most durable of the natural fibers, besides true hemp. Other uses for manila fiber are coarse fabric and paper, including Manila envelopes and Manila papers.
It is not really a hemp, but named so because hemp was for centuries a major source for fiber, so other fibers were sometimes named after it. The name refers to the capital of the Philippines. The country is one of the main areas of cultivation of abacá.
Hemp flourished as an American crop from the end of the American Civil War until the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act ended production. During World War II, when Japan seized the Philippines and cut off supplies of Manila hemp, the crop got a brief reprieve in the United States, where farmers were encouraged to grow “Hemp for Victory,” for boots, parachute cording and the like. But contrary to lore, most such hemp was never harvested [citation needed].
