{{Short description|Plant fiber from Mexican species of agave and yucca}} thumb|right|alt=Tuft of stiff fibers removed from a brush|Tuft of Ixtle fiber and metal staple from a brush
'''Ixtle''', also known by the trade name '''Tampico fiber''', is a stiff plant fiber obtained from a number of Mexican plants, chiefly species of ''Agave'' and ''Yucca''.<ref name=Dewe04/> The principal source is ''Agave lechuguilla'', the dominant ''Agave'' species in the Chihuahuan Desert.<ref name="FNA lechuguilla">{{efloras|1|242101309|Agave lechuguilla|volume=26}}</ref> ''Ixtle'' is the common name (or part of the common name) of the plants producing the fiber.<ref name=TS/> ''Ixtle'' is also the common name of a species of bromeliad, ''Aechmea magdalenae'', grown in southern Mexico for its silky fibers.<ref name=StepWynd02/>
Ixtle fiber is used as a substitute for animal bristles in the manufacture of brushes, cords, and lariats.<ref name=Dewe04/> Wrapped with thread, parallel bundles of fiber were used as the boning in corsets.
==Types== Particular kinds of Ixtle include:
[[File:Agavaceae-lechugilla.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Slender-leaved agave plant with species identification sign|''Agave univittata'', used in the production of ''Tula Ixtle'']]
*''Tula Ixtle'', produced from ''Agave lechuguilla''<ref name=Dewe04/><ref name=GRIN_Al/> or ''Agave univittata''.<ref name=TS/> The name is derived from the town of Tula, also in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. The fiber is also obtained from the inner leaves, and is {{convert|13|–|30|in|cm|abbr=on|0}} long and almost white. *''Jaumave Ixtle'', produced from ''Agave funkiana'' (syn. ''A. lophantha''),<ref name=TS/> is said to be the best grade. The name comes from the Jaumave Valley in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, where it is grown. The fiber is obtained from the young inner leaves that form the central bud. ''Jaumave Ixtle'' fibre is usually {{convert|20|–|40|in|cm|abbr=on|0}} long, almost white, and almost as strong and flexible as sisal,<ref name=Dewe04/> produced from ''Agave sisaliana''. *''Palma Ixtle'', produced from the young leaves of species of ''Yucca'', known as ''palmas'' in Spanish. The main species used is ''Yucca carnerosana'' (syn. ''Samuela carnerosana''),<ref name=TS/> although ''Yucca treculeana'' is also used.<ref name=Dewe04/> The fiber is more difficult to extract from yuccas than from agaves, requiring the leaves to be steamed first for two to four hours. Individual fibers are {{convert|20|–|40|in|cm|abbr=on|0}} long, yellow, and usually coarser and stiffer than sisal. The fiber is described as "somewhat gummy".<ref name=Dewe04/>
==References== <references>
<ref name=Dewe04>{{Citation |last=Dewey |first=Lyster H. |year=1904 |editor-last=United States Department of Agriculture |contribution=Principal Commercial Plant Fibers |title=Yearbook of the Department of Agriculture 1903 |pages=387–398 |oclc=12121421 |url=http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/IND43742493/PDF |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022174150/http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/IND43742493/PDF |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 22, 2013 |accessdate=2013-10-23 }}</ref>
<ref name=GRIN_Al>{{GRIN | ''Agave lechuguilla'' | 5454 | accessdate = 2013-10-22}}</ref>
<ref name=StepWynd02>{{citation |last1=Stepp |first1=John R. |last2= Wyndham |first2=Felice S. |last3=Zarger |first3=Rebecca K.|title=Ethnobiology and Biocultural Diversity: Proceedings of the Seventh International Congress of Ethnobiology |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0TPsGNj_Jy0C&pg=PA576 |date=2002|publisher=University of Georgia Press |isbn=978-0-8203-2349-7 |pages=576–}}</ref>
<ref name=TS>{{Citation |title=Natural Cellulosic Leaf Fibres |date=27 October 2010 |publisher=TextileSchool.com |url=http://www.textileschool.com/articles/361/natural-cellulosic-leaf-fibres |accessdate=2013-10-23 }}</ref>
</references>
==External links== *[http://www.tampicofiber.net/index.php/fiber-processing Fiber processing] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920031026/http://www.tampicofiber.net/index.php/fiber-processing |date=2018-09-20 }} *[http://www.tampicofibermex.com Description with more pictures]
Category:Fiber plants