bowstring hemp

American  

noun

1. any of various fibrous plants of the genus Sansevieria, of Asia and Africa, having stiff, erect, variegated or mottled leaves, cultivated in the U.S. as an ornamental.

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bowstring hemp British  

noun

1. a hemplike fibre obtained from the sansevieria

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Etymology

Origin of bowstring hemp

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

Sanseviera guineensis.—Called the African bowstring hemp, from the fibers of the leaves being used for bowstrings.

From Catalogue of Economic Plants in the Collection of the U. S. Department of Agriculture by Saunders, William

That stuff is a bundle of bowstring hemp.

From The Pools of Silence by Stacpoole, H. De Vere (Henry De Vere)