Abaca Fibre: Leaf Sheaths Tuxied and Hand-Stripped

Abaca, Manila hemp, is the fibre in the leaf sheaths of Musa textilis, a banana relative from the Philippines; it makes Manila rope, coarse twine and strong papers. Cut the stalk after flowering, peel the outer sheath layers away (tuxying), strip the fibre by hand with a knife and dry it in the sun. The picture: pulling abaca strips under a knife at the harvest site.