ramie
A tall herb of the nettle family, native to
tropical Asia and cultivated in other suitable
areas. The fibers are obtained by decorticating
and degumming Boehmeria nivea (white leaves) and
B. tenacissima (green leaves), the latter being
the more important of the two. The degummed
material is practically pure cellulose and is
identical in composition with bleached cotton and
linen. Ramie fibers are among the strongest
vegetable fibers known, and are durable and not as
much affected by moisture as are many other
fibers. It is used in the East as a textile fiber
and in Europe for banknote paper. It is a
potential source of papermaking fibers. Also
called "rhea." (17 ,
77 , 143 )
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