{{Short description|Type of vegetable fibre}} {{About|the fibre|the plant species|Boehmeria nivea{{!}}''Boehmeria nivea''|other uses}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2025}} '''Ramie''' (from Malay {{linktext|rami}}) is a fibre crop native to eastern Asia, derived from the plant ''Boehmeria nivea''.
A second type, known as '''green ramie''' or '''rhea''', is believed to have originated in the Malay Peninsula.{{Citation needed|date=August 2015}} It has smaller leaves which are green on the underside, and it appears to be better suited to tropical conditions.<ref name="oldnew">[http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5501.html Ramie: Old Fiber - New Image] [http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20020917234423/http%3A//ohioline%2Eosu%2Eedu/hyg%2Dfact/5000/5501%2Ehtml Archived copy] at the Library of Congress (17 September 2002).</ref> The word "ramie" is derived from the Malay word {{Lang|ms|rami}}.<ref>"ramie", entry, p. 156, vol. 13, ''The Oxford English Dictionary'', 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989, {{ISBN|0-19-861225-7}}.</ref>
==Cultivation== thumb|300px|right|Worldwide ramie production Ramie is one of the oldest fibre crops, having been used for at least 6,000 years, and is principally used for fabric production. It is a bast fibre, which comes from the inner bark (phloem) of the vegetative stalks and not the woody stem itself or the outer bark. Ramie is normally harvested two to three times a year, but under good growing conditions can be harvested up to six times per year.<ref name=swicofil>{{cite web |author=Beda Ricklin Swicofil AG Textile Services |url=http://www.swicofil.com/products/007ramie.html |title=Swicofil |publisher=Swicofil |access-date=9 November 2013 }}</ref> Unlike other bast crops, ramie requires chemical processing to de-gum the fibre.
When the plant begins flowering, or just before, it signals both a decline in growth and the plant being at its maximum fibre content, and is harvested.<ref name="swicofil"/> Stems are harvested by cutting just above the lateral roots or by bending the stem. This enables the core to be broken and the cortex can be stripped from the plant ''in situ''.<ref name=swicofil/>
After harvesting, stems are decorticated while the plants are fresh. If this is not done while the plants are still fresh, the plants dry out and the bark will be difficult to remove. The bark ribbon is then dried as quickly as possible, preventing bacteria and fungi from attacking it.<ref name=swicofil/>
The dry weight of harvested stem from crops ranges from 3.4 to 4.5 t/ha/year. A 4.5-ton crop yields 1,600 kg/ha/year of dry undegummed fibre. The weight loss during degumming can be up to 25%, giving a yield of degummed fibre of about 1,200 kg/ha/year.<ref name=swicofil/>
The fibre extraction occurs in three stages. First, the cortex (bark) is removed; this can be done manually or by machine. This process is called decortication. Second, the cortex is scraped to remove most of the outer bark, the parenchyma in the bast layer and some of the gums and pectins. Third, the residual cortex material is washed, dried, and degummed to extract the spinnable fibre.<ref name=swicofil/>
==History== thumb|right|Preparing ramie fibre for weaving, ''The Story of Ramie From Seed to Finished Garment'', {{Circa|1820}}
Ramie has been grown in China for many centuries, and farmers in ancient China are known to have used the fibre to weave clothing. In China, it is called ''zhu ma'' ({{zh|t=苎麻|p=zhù má}}). It may have been used in cloth for wrapping mummies in Egypt. Though ramie and flax are difficult to distinguish from one another in ancient cloth, ramie's resistance to bacteria and mildew would make it appropriate for mummy wrapping.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wildfibres.co.uk/html/ramie.html#ramie-fibre-history |title=Ramie |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=Wild Fibres |access-date=31 July 2016 }}</ref>
Taiwan's aboriginal people have used ramie for millennia in fabric production and ramie is still used to create traditional garb by crafters such as Yuma Taru.
Ramie was used to produce an open-weave fabric called mechera, used for shirts and dressing gowns suitable for warm climates. The French painter Raoul Dufy designed in the early 20th century patterns for prints on mechera used by the French shirtmaker Charvet.<ref>{{cite book |title=Raoul Dufy créateur d'étoffes |publisher=Musée de l'impression sur étoffes de Mulhouse |location=Mulhouse |url=http://www.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/other/mlm_dufy.pdf |page=22 |language=fr |access-date=31 July 2016 }}</ref>
Brazil began production in the late 1930s with production peaking in 1971. Since then, production has steadily declined as a result of competition from alternative crops, such as soybeans, and from synthetic fibres.<ref name="oldnew">[http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5501.html Ramie: Old Fiber - New Image] [http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20020917234423/http%3A//ohioline%2Eosu%2Eedu/hyg%2Dfact/5000/5501%2Ehtml Archived copy] at the Library of Congress (17 September 2002).</ref>
==Properties== Ramie is one of the strongest natural fibres. It exhibits even greater strength when wet. Ramie fibre is known especially for its ability to hold shape, reduce wrinkling, and introduce a silky lustre to the fabric appearance. It is not as durable as other fibres, so is usually used as a blend with other fibres such as cotton or wool. It is similar to linen in absorbency, density, and microscopic appearance. It does not dye as well as cotton. Because of its high molecular crystallinity, ramie is stiff and brittle and will break if folded repeatedly in the same place; it lacks resiliency and is low in elasticity and elongation potential.<ref name="kadolph_langford">Kadolph SJ, Langford AL. Textiles (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall; 2001. {{ISBN|0-13-025443-6 }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" |+Physical and chemical properties of ramie fibre<ref name=mohanty>{{cite journal |author=A. K. Mohanty |author2=M. Misra |author3=G. Hinrichsen. |title=Biofibers, biodegradable polymers and biocomposites: An overview |journal=Macromol. Mater. Eng. |year=2000 |volume=276-277 |issue=1 |pages=1–24 |doi=10.1002/(SICI)1439-2054(20000301)276:1<1::AID-MAME1>3.0.CO;2-W }}</ref> |- ! Cellulose (wt%) ! Lignin (wt%) ! Hemicellulose (wt%) ! Pectin (wt%) ! Wax (wt%) ! Microfibrillar angle (°) ! Moisture content (wt%) ! Density (g/cm<sup>3</sup>) |- | 68.6 – 76.2 | 0.6 – 0.7 | 13.1 – 16.7 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 7.5 | 8.0 | 1.50 |- |}
{| class="wikitable" |+Mechanical properties of untreated ramie fibres<ref name=koichi>{{cite journal |author=Koichi Goda |author2=MS Sreekala |author3=Alexandre Gomes |author4=Takeshi Kaji |author5=Junji Ohgi |title=Improvement of plant based natural fibers for toughening green composites -- Effect of load application during mercerization of ramie fibers |journal=Composites, Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing |year=2006 |volume=37 |issue=12 |pages=2213–2220 |doi=10.1016/j.compositesa.2005.12.014 |bibcode=2006CmpA...37.2213G }}</ref> |- ! Fibre diameter (mm) ! Fracture load (N) ! Tensile strength (MPa) ! Fracture strain (%) |- | 0.034 | 0.467 | 560 | 0.025 |- |}
==Uses== thumb|300px|right|Vietnamese glutinous rice cake, Bánh gai. Ramie leaf extract gives the outer layer its dark green colour. Because of its resemblance to this outer layer of Vietnamese rice cake, the caramelized ripe fig candy was called "Ramie Fig". [[File:MET DP158227.jpg|thumb|Japanese hakama from ramie fibre]]
Despite its strength, ramie has had limited acceptance for textile use. The fibre extraction and cleaning are expensive, chiefly because of the several steps—involving scraping, pounding, heating, washing, or exposure to chemicals. Some or all are needed to separate the raw fibre from the adhesive gums or resins. Spinning the fibre is difficult due to its brittle quality and low elasticity; and weaving is complicated by the hairy surface of the yarn, resulting from lack of cohesion between the fibres. Greater utilization of ramie may depend upon development of improved processing methods and the need to find plastic alternatives.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Netravali |first1=Anil N. |year=2004 |chapter=Ramie Fiber Reinforced Natural Plastics |title=Natural Fibers, Plastics and Composites |publisher=Springer |location=Boston, MA |pages=321–343 |doi=10.1007/978-1-4419-9050-1_18 |isbn=9781461347743 |oclc=912384285 }}</ref>
Ramie is used to make such products as industrial sewing thread, packing materials, fishing nets, and filter cloths. It is also made into fabrics for household furnishings (upholstery, canvas) and clothing, frequently in blends with other textile fibres (for instance when used in a mixture with wool, shrinkage is reported to be greatly reduced when compared with pure wool). Shorter fibres and waste are used in paper manufacture. Ramie ribbon is used in fine bookbinding as a substitute for traditional linen tape.
For the 2010 Prius, Toyota began using plant-derived plastics made from the cellulose in wood or grass instead of petroleum. One of the two principal crops used is ramie.
Ramie is also used as an ornamental plant in eastern Asia.
In Vietnam, ramie leaves are a main ingredient in making a Vietnamese glutinous rice cake called bánh gai (thorn leaf cake) or bánh gai Tứ Trụ in Thanh Hóa province. The leaves give the cake its distinct colour, flavour and fragrance.<ref>{{cite web |author=Quý Dương |date=19 December 2023 |title=Thanh Hóa Province's Tứ Trụ thorn leaf cake known nationwide |url=https://vietnamnews.vn/life-style/1638167/thanh-hoa-province-s-tu-tru-thorn-leaf-cake-known-nationwide.html |website=vietnamnews.vn }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Khôi Nguyên |date=21 April 2023 |title=Giải mã vị ngon bánh gai Tứ Trụ Thanh Hóa nức tiếng |url=https://vtcnews.vn/giai-ma-vi-ngon-banh-gai-tu-tru-thanh-hoa-nuc-tieng-ar767293.html |website=vtcnews.vn |language=vi }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Nguyễn Ngọc Túy |date=28 May 2022 |title=Để cây gai xanh trở thành sản phẩm nông nghiệp chủ lực của tỉnh |url=https://baothanhhoa.vn/de-cay-gai-xanh-tro-thanh-san-pham-nong-nghiep-chu-luc-cua-tinh-159988.htm |website=baothanhhoa.vn |language=vi }}</ref>
In the Chinese Hakka community, ramie leaves are a main ingredient in making pancake-like dumplings with glutinous rice powder, sugar and water. These glutinous rice powder dumplings are similar to another Southeast Asian delicacy otherwise known as Kuih. The ramie leaves are picked, cleaned and ground in mortar, mixed into a dough of glutinous rice powder, water and sugar, kneaded thoroughly and placed on palm-sized square- or circular-cut banana leaves and steamed. The ramie leaves give the dumplings a dark green colour and unique aroma.
Ramie is also occasionally used in the construction of high performance rowing oar shafts. Mahe Drysdale used sculling oars made with ramie during the 2016 Rio Olympics where he won Gold in the Men's 1X Scull.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}
Ramie is often used to produce high-quality summer kimono in Japan. In Japanese, the plant is called either ''ramie'' or ''choma'' (苧麻), while in the southern Okinawan islands it is known as ''bu''. Well-known examples of ramie textiles include Yaeyama Jofu and Miyako Jofu,<ref>{{cite web |title=MIYAKO Jofu (Ramie Textiles) |url=https://kougeihin.jp/en/craft/0127/ }}</ref> both prized for their fine quality and craftsmanship.<ref>{{cite web |title=Yaeyama Joufu - Waori Monogatari |url=https://www.motoji.co.jp/blogs/en-articles/yaeyama-joufu-waori-monogatari?srsltid=AfmBOooG2x6VtBsNYunsqSR9s4X7p5Q-nvx80Ylieot95z3cZooVGF75 }}</ref>
==Producers== China is the main producer of ramie. Others include Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and Brazil.<ref name="EBo">{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/plant/ramie |title=Britannica Online |publisher=Britannica.com |access-date=26 January 2025 }}</ref> Only a small percentage of the ramie produced is available on the international market. Japan, Germany, France and the UK are the main importers; the remaining supply is used domestically.<ref name=swicofil />
==See also== * International Year of Natural Fibres * {{section link|Salish weaving|Nettle fibre}}
== References == {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Ramie}} * Ian Wood [https://web.archive.org/web/20040414001104/http://newcrops.uq.edu.au/newslett/ncn11162.htm Ramie: the different bast fibre crop] ''Australian New Crops Newsletter''
== External links == * {{Commons category-inline|Ramie (fiber)}}
{{Fibers}} {{authority control}}
Category:Fiber plants Category:Crops originating from Asia Category:Boehmeria