ramie
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Ramie ( Boehmeria nivea ) |
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The ramie ( Boehmeria nivea ), also called Chinese grass , is a species of the nettle family (Urticaceae). It is native to tropical East Asia and is traditionally cultivated as a fiber plant in Asia, but partly also in South America and occasionally in Europe .
description
The ramie is a weakly branched, perennial , herbaceous plant and can reach an age of up to 20 years. 50–150 cm (in culture up to 3 m) high and 2.3 cm thick stems grow from the rhizome and storage roots . The upper stems, the twigs and the 2.5–10 cm long petioles are densely hairy with stiff, firm and smooth hairs.
The alternate leaves are 5–15 cm long and 3.5–13 cm wide, broadly oval to elliptical-egg-shaped, tapering to a point and with a finely serrated edge. They are hairy snow-white on the underside, occasionally light green with white, firm and smooth hairy hair along the leaf veins or finely hairy, the top is slightly rough and only slightly hairy. The leaf base is almost heart-shaped, with three secondary ribs on each side running parallel to the central rib . The 7-11 mm long stipules are lanceolate and either fused and split or not grown.
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The plants are monocular , flowering time is from May to August. The strongly branched, panicle-like inflorescences are shorter than the leaf stalks and arise from the leaf axils of mature or already fallen leaves, the individual branches are unisexual. The flowers are in clusters on them, with the female flowers in the upper part and the male in the lower part, although the latter can also be missing.
Male glomeruli (flower clusters) are few-flowered and measure 2-4 mm in diameter, the female are rich-flowered and measure 2-3 mm in diameter. The sessile male flowers are four-fold, the corolla lobes are four-lobed up to half, 1.5 mm long and hairy. The female flowers are rhombic to elliptical and 0.6-0.8 mm long, the stigma is around 1 mm long. The fruiting crown is rhombic to inverted egg-shaped, compressed, tied off like a stem at the base and around 1 mm long, the tip is two to three-toothed.
The plants are pollinated by the wind .
The fruits, which ripen from September to November, are approximately egg-shaped, up to 0.6 mm long achenes and have a stipple at the base.
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 28 or 42 or 56.
distribution
The plant is a widespread wild plant in East and Southeast Asia ( China , Bhutan , Cambodia , India , Indonesia , Japan , Korea , Laos , Nepal , Thailand , Vietnam ). It is found on roadsides, forest edges, among the bushes and damp locations along waterways at altitudes of 200- 1700 m .
Systematics
The species is considered to be very variable and has not yet been sufficiently delimited systematically. There are currently two varieties :
- Boehmeria nivea var. Nivea : with white felt leaves underneath, exclusively in cultivation or as a cultivated refugee
- Boehmeria nivea var. Tenacissima (Gaudich.) Miq. : without felted leaf underside
use
Textiles made from ramie fibers were first used in Egyptian mummies to tie between 5000 and 3300 BC. Chr. Attested. It has been cultivated as a fiber plant in China for around 3000 years . This makes the ramie one of the oldest fiber plants in the world. The plant first made its way to Europe, North and South America in the early 18th century.
In 2000, over 170,000 tons of fibers were produced from ramie worldwide, around twice as much as from hemp. This makes it the seventh most important natural fiber in the world. The main production countries are China (here Gansu , Henan , Hubei , Hunan , Shaanxi and Sichuan ) as well as the Philippines, India and Brazil with a good 75% of world production . These countries are also the main consumers, so the fiber only makes a limited appearance on the world market. The main import countries are Japan, Germany, France and Great Britain.
Use as a fiber plant
Main article: Ramie fiber
The ramie fibers are obtained from the bast part of the stem, they make up up to 15% of the plant and are 40–350 mm long and 40–50 micrometers thick. They are spun wet and are characterized by a very high tensile strength of 393-1050 MPa . The density and absorbency of the coarse fiber (25-30 micrometers) are similar to those of linen . The main area of application is use as a textile fiber.
As a pure fiber, ramie makes light, silky fabrics that resemble linen. However, because of its low resistance and elasticity, ramie fiber is mostly used as an admixture to other textile fibers. It increases the shine and strength of cotton fibers and reduces the shrinkage of wool fibers. Their use in this area of wool blends is, however, to be regarded as rather exotic.
Although the ramie fiber is considered to be of extremely high quality, due to its relatively complex processing, which still cannot be fully automated, it has so far not been able to compete in price with other natural fibers such as cotton , wool or linen on the textile market .
Other uses
Ramie fibers are also used in rope making and paper production. Short-fiber fiber residues in particular are processed in the production of high-quality special paper (banknotes, cigarette paper).
The leaves and the young ends of the stem axis are used as fodder for cattle, pigs and poultry. When feeding, however, the high mineral content of the plants must be taken into account, which must be counteracted by adding copper sulfate as an additive . Young leaves are used as food for silkworms .
In Asia, the plant is also used medicinally, for example it is said to help against fever and urethral infections .
Cultivation
The ramie appreciates well-drained, very nutrient-rich and airy, loose soils. It is largely resistant to diseases and pests, and because of its vigor it displaces weeds. As an originally subtropical or tropical plant, however, it is sensitive to frost. Cultivation in temperate zones is therefore problematic, as the rhizomes threaten to freeze to death in winter.
Cultivation trials in southern Germany resulted in two possible harvests per year, in central Italy three. Up to six harvests per year can be achieved under tropical conditions.
Between eight and 20 tons of green matter are harvested per hectare, the fiber yield can be around 1.5 tons.
literature
- Jiarui Chen, Qi Lin, Ib Friis, C. Melanie Wilmot-Dear, Alex K. Monro: Urticaceae. in the Flora of China. Vol. 5, p. 166.
- KUHeyland, H. Hanus, ER Keller: Oil fruits, fiber plants, medicinal plants and special crops In: Handbuch des Pflanzenbaues. Vol. 4, Ulmer, 2006, ISBN 3-8001-3203-6 , pp. 308-309.
- WB Granger: The history, culture, processing and marketing of ramie in Florida . 1948 ( online [accessed February 21, 2019]).
Web links
Individual evidence
The information in this article is taken from the sources given under references; the following sources are also cited:
- ↑ Boehmeria nivea at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
- ↑ a b c d e R. Koslowski, M. Rawluk, J. Barriga-Bedoya: Ramie. In: Robert Franck (Ed.): Bast and other plant fibers. Woodhead, Cambridge / Boca Raton 2005, pp. 207-227, ISBN 1-85573-684-5 / ISBN 0-84932-597-8 .
- ↑ Ramie on handspinngilde.org, accessed on May 15, 2018.
- ↑ Michael Carus et al. a .: Study on the market and competitive situation for natural fibers and natural fiber materials (Germany and EU). Gülzower Expert Discussions 26, Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe eV (Ed.), Gülzow 2008, p. 126. Download (PDF; 3.9 MB).
- ↑ a b Natural Fibers: Ramie. On the FAO International Year of Natural Fibers 2009 website.