Biology 2217A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Vascular Bundle, Boehmeria, Corchorus
4 Feb 2019
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Plant fibres: many economically important products, such as paper, rope and textiles, are derived from plant fibres, combination of sclerenchyma tissue, and short, thick-walled sclereids (stone cells). Strength of a spun thread depends on length of individual fibres: value related to length, purity of cellulose, softness of lignen, and ease of extraction, when softness is required (e. g. cotton) pure cellulose desired. What is a fibre: botanically, sclerenchyma cell, as in fibre caps, fibre cells in secondary xylem, etc, commercially, long, grouped strips of fibres (vascular bundles) removed from plant and used for textiles or cordage, nutrition/medicine. Indigestible portion of plant foods (non-starch polysaccharides, such as cellulose and many other plant components such as dextrins, inulin, lignin, waxes, chitins, pectins, beta-glucans and oligosaccharides) Three types of commercial plant fibres: based on botanical origin, 1. Soft fibres (bast/cortical/phloem/textile fibres) from dicots: 2. Hard fibres (leaf/cordage fibres) from monocots - entire vascular bundles from leaves or petioles: 3.
