Sisal

Sisal

[Agave sisalana]

Family
Asparagaceae

Height
Up to 1 meter

Location and climate
Tropical and subtropical climate.

Pollination
Bees. The sisal plant blooms for a long time and is a good source of pollen for bees when other plants start to wither. Honey from sisal is bitter in taste.

Sisal fiber is a long and very rigid fiber extracted from the agave plant. The usage of sisal is dated back to the Aztecs and Maya Indians. 300.000 tons of sisal is produced yearly where Brazil and Tanzania are the largest production contries.

Usage
Rope, rugs, mats, sacks, brooms and brushes, paper (sisal contains a high amount of cellulose) Sisal is often used for reinforcement in concrete and other composites.