''Stipa tenacissima'' (esparto, esparto grass, halfah grass, alfa grass, or needle grass) is a perennial
grass
Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...
of northwestern
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
and the southern part of the
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula (),
**
* Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica''
**
**
* french: Péninsule Ibérique
* mwl, Península Eibérica
* eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...
.
[
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Distribution
''Stipa tenacissima'' is an endemic species of the Western–Central Mediterranean countries. It grows in France (including Corsica), Spain (including the Baleares), Portugal, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. It grows in dry, rocky and base rich soils, forming a steppe-like grassland. It has been managed by people for centuries.[
]
Uses
''Stipa tenacissima'' produces a fiber product called esparto
Esparto, halfah grass, or esparto grass is a fiber produced from two species of perennial grasses of north Africa, Spain and Portugal. It is used for crafts, such as cords, basketry, and espadrilles. ''Stipa tenacissima'' and ''Lygeum spartum ...
which is used for crafts, such as cords, basketry
Basket weaving (also basketry or basket making) is the process of weaving or sewing pliable materials into three-dimensional artifacts, such as baskets, mats, mesh bags or even furniture. Craftspeople and artists specialized in making baskets ...
, and espadrille
Espadrilles (Spanish: ''alpargatas or esparteñas''; Catalan: ''espardenyes''; Basque: ''espartinak'') are casual, rope-soled, flat but sometimes high-heeled shoes. They usually have a canvas or cotton fabric upper and a flexible sole made of ...
s as well as for making paper.[
]
See also
*'' Lygeum spartum'', another species of grass also used as esparto
Esparto, halfah grass, or esparto grass is a fiber produced from two species of perennial grasses of north Africa, Spain and Portugal. It is used for crafts, such as cords, basketry, and espadrilles. ''Stipa tenacissima'' and ''Lygeum spartum ...
References
External links
Stipa tenacissima Spanish information
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q831011
tenacissima
Fiber plants
Bunchgrasses of Europe
Flora of Algeria
Flora of Morocco
Flora of Tunisia
Flora of Spain
Flora of Portugal
Flora of North Africa
Plants described in 1759
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
Flora of the Mediterranean Basin