Observations by lyckaayalacruz

The pre-Columbian inhabitants extracted and used the fique fibs for several centuries before the arrival of Spanish conquerors to make garments, ropes, hammocks and many other applications.

In the 17th century, Dutch colonists carried the plant from their Brazilian colonies in Pernambuco to the island of Mauritius. The native inhabitants of the island learned to use the fibre and called it “caraguatá-acú” “croatá-acu” or “gravata”-acú”.

The fibre was also introduced to St. Helena, India, Sri Lanka, Algeria, Madagascar, East Africa, Mexico and Costa Rica.

In the 18th century, in Dagua, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, the priest Feliciano Villalobos started the first rope and wrapping materials manufacturing industry; his products were made of fique. In 1880 the Colombian government reported a yearly production of three million kilograms of fibres, the exportation to Venezuela of two million, the fabrication of five millions pairs of alpargatas and four million metres of rope.

Between 1970 and 1975 the fique industry suffered a crisis brought about by the development of polypropylene, which costs less and is produced much faster.

Today, fique is considered the Colombian national fibre and is used in the fabrication of ethnic products, Colombian handicrafts and recently (since July 2007) has been used for the heath protectors (handmade in Barichara) placed around the Colombian coffee cups sold in the Juan Valdez coffee shops worldwide.

In December 2006 the General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed 2009 to be the International Year of Natural Fibres, so as to raise the profile of fique and other natural fibres.

Plants are more horizontal than vertical growth, usually have 6 to 15 cm tall and 6-30 cm wide. The leaves are round or oval of 2.5 to 8.5 mm long with a petiole between 2-10 cm, finely hairy and meaty texture. Flowers have 2 to 3 cm in diameter with a velvety corolla five lobes ("petals") and grouped arise number from 3 to 10 or more for thin stems (stems). The flower color in wild species can be violet, purple, light blue, or white.

In botany, a plant guide or guiding (English vine) is a plant with elongated, slender stems, never hold themselves nor particularly swell. If each node (with the respective internode and their respective leaves and buds or pads) is interpreted as a module, it is observed that all the modules of the plant and having a thickness roughly similar functions. Guide plants can be annual or perennial, herbaceous or woody, climbing or not (see also Caribbean voice vine); all agree on the ecological strategy of seeking sun away from your site without germination sustain themselves.

Most species form a large rosette of thick fleshy leaves and leaving a short stem (in some species is very long and even branched). These leaves are usually lanceolate with a sharp apex and spiny margins, colors vary from gray to bright green and are sometimes striped or mottled. The tubular flowers with colors from yellow to orange or red, born on a leafless stem, simple or branched, clustered in dense clusters (inflorescences). The aloes are plants that reproduce by cross pollination and also multiply by seed or suckers.

Rue (Ruta) is a genus of evergreen subshrubs strongly flavored 2-6 meters high, of the family Rutaceae, native to the Mediterranean region, Macaronesia and Southwest Virginia. Different authors accept between 8-40 species in the genus. The sp. Best known is the common rue Ruta graveolens. While it is used "forever" as a medicinal plant, has a very strong toxi