Agave sisalana seed

LATIN NAME: Agave sisalana

COMMON NAME: Sisal

Sisal is the tough, spiky, sword-leaved plant of the dry tropics, the source of one of the great hard fibres. The stout, stemless, evergreen plant carries the thick, rigid, sword-shaped leaves with the sharp spine at the tip, arranged in the tight, bold rosette, and the tall, branched flower stalk rises high above the leaves, to be followed by the small, bulb-like plantlets along the stem. The long, strong fibres of the leaves are the sisal of the old rope, the twine and the matting, and the plant is a fine, bold, easy addition to the dry, sunny garden. It is a plant of the open, sunny, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

Sisal has carved a quiet but solid place in the plant science, and the plant has been studied for the thick, rigid, sword-shaped leaves and the long, strong fibres within. The way the fibres have been harvested and spun for a very long time has been examined closely, and it keeps showing up in the work on the fibre crops, the agaves and the dryland plants. The tall, branched flower stalk and the bold, tight rosette have also made it a fine garden plant, and the sisal is a regular subject of the studies of the plants of the dry tropics.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

Sisal does a lot of work in the garden and the wider world. The long, strong fibres of the leaves are the sisal of the old rope, the twine, the sacks and the matting, and the plant has been grown as a fine, steady fibre crop of the dry tropics for a very long time. The bold, sword-leaved rosette is also a fine, architectural presence in the dry, sunny garden and the large container, and the tall flower stalk adds its own dramatic line. It has been written about in the agricultural and the horticultural papers for the strong fibres and the bold form, and it is a fine, easy plant of the open, sunny, well-drained garden.

Sisal is one of the great fibre plants of the dry tropics, and the long, strong fibres of the sword-shaped leaves have been spun into the rope, the twine, the sacks and the matting for a very long time. The bold, tight rosette of the thick leaves is also a fine, architectural presence in the dry, sunny garden, and the tall flower stalk rises high above the plant in its season.

To grow the sisal from seed, sow the flat, black seeds a centimetre deep in pots of moist, free-draining soil, covering them thinly, keep them in a warm, bright spot and water gently. The seedlings are up within a few weeks and grow on steadily. With the sun, the warmth and the dry, well-drained ground, the bold, sword-leaved rosette will build up over the seasons.