''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 a ...

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, def ...

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 spart ...

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 ...

s as well as for making paper.

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

Distribution

Uses

See also

References

External links