Phormium tenax

Phormium. The Phormium tenax plant yields a long, light-colored, hard fiber also known as New Zealand hemp or flax, although it has none of the bast fiber characteristics. The plant is a perennial of the Agavaceae with leaves up to 4 m long and 10 cm wide. The fibers are recovered by mechanical decortication. 

One of the first acidic xylans to receive a detailed investigation was that from New Zealand flax (Phormium tenax)87 [a monocotyledonous plant entirely unrelated to flax (Linum sp.)], for which polysaccharide the following partial structure (XXVII) was advanced. The experimental evidence is also consistent with the direct attachment of D-glucuronic acid residues... 

B. Convergent.—In Phormium tenax, the base of the blade is sheathing, it-then converges and opens out above. In the various species of Iris the petiole is sheathing, the upper part being fused (mostly seen in monocotyls). 

Isocucurbitacin D (41) and 3-epi-isocucurbitacin D (42) are new tumour-inhibitory compounds from the leaves of Phormium tenax. They may be artefacts of isolation since they are both formed by isomerization of cucurbitacin D (43) on silica gel. Dihydroisocucurbitacin B (44) has been isolated from Marah... 

The name of about 50 naturally abundant cucurbitanes stems from Cucurbitaceae, the Latin term of cucurbitaceous plants such as cucumbers and pumpkins, known since antiquity for their beneficial and toxic properties. One of the most frequently isolated representatives is the bitter substance (+)-cucurbitacin B from Phormium tenax and Ecballium elaterium (Cucurbitaceae), also found in Iberis species (Cru-ciferae), Euphorbiaceae and Scrophulariaceae. (+)-Cucurbitacin F from Cucumis angolensis and C. dinteri is reported to inhibit the growth of human tumor cells. Toxic cucurbitacines shape the unpleasant bitter taste of salads prepared from spoiled cucumbers Cucumis sativus some representatives are reported to be antihypertonic, antirheumatic, and also active against HIV. 

Kupchan, S. M., H. Meshulam, and A. T. Sneden, New cucurbi-tacins from Phormium tenax and Marah oreganus. Phytochemistry, 17, 767-769 (1978). 

Shih studied the thermal behavior of an epoxy resin reinforced with water bamboo husks fibres and powders [42]. The char yield increased from 8.9 % for the epoxy resin to 10.1-13.6 % for the composites containing 10 % bamboo fibres or powder. The results showed that the addition of bamboo powder or fibres to epoxy systems would raise the char yield of the sample, therefore could improve the flame retardancy of these materials. Similar results were obtained in the case of Phormium tenax fibres reinforced epoxy composites, containing 20 % fibres. The presence of plant fibres determined an increase of the composites thermal stability, due to the improved fibre-matrix interactions [43]. 

De Rosa, I.M., Santulli, C., Sarasini, F. Mechanical and thermal characterization of epoxy composites reinforced with random and quasi-unidirectional untreated Phormium tenax leaf fibers. Mater. Des. 31, 2397-2405 (2010)... 

Phormium Phormium tenax tropics Argentina, Chile, New Zealand... 

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