Woven and dried plant materials

Basket-making and other forms of plant material weaving were probably the precursors to the invention of textiles. Simple weaving of flexible materials became more refined over time, and some woven objects took on an artistic quality separate from their utilitarian usefulness. A basket is a container made of woven materials. Most common basket-making materials are derived from plants, and may include any and all parts of a plant, from the roots, to the smallest twigs. Basket design is usually dictated by what materials are available, and the intended use of the finished product. 

Some baskets are made of clumps of bound leaves or pine needles, woven into place with long flexible vines or thin leaf strips. Thin strips of bark or wood are also commonly used, although the preparation of these materials may add considerably to the work it takes to produce a finished basket. 

Baskets and wicker-work are often found in historical and anthropological collections. Baskets can be made from any natural flexible material. Popular plant materials used in basket-making include grasses, reeds, bark, straw, thin strips of wood, vines, and pine needles. Wicker is a term used to describe furniture and other items made of interlaced branches (usually willow). 

Objects that consist of or contain dried plant materials are susceptible to damage from light, insects, and moisture. As these items have lost moisture 

Straw is the general term for those parts of a cereal plant left over after the grains or seeds have been removed. It consists largely of the dry stalk or stem, and some leaves. During the harvest of such crops as wheat, rye, barley, com, or oats, straw is usually whatever is left behind in the field. It has historically been used in a variety of ways, and was regarded as an important product of the harvest 

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