cantala

cantala
/kan tah"leuh/, n.
1. a cordage fiber obtained from the leaves of a tropical plant, Agave cantala.
2. the plant itself. Also called maguey.
[1910-15; < NL, the species name (orig. cantula), appar. < Skt kantala a mimosa genus]

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▪ plant
      (Agave cantala), plant of the family agave (Agavaceae) and its fibre, belonging to the leaf-fibre (leaf fibre) group, obtained from plant leaves. The plant has been cultivated in the Philippines since 1783 and was growing in Indonesia and India by the early 1800s. It is known as maguey in the Philippines, and in commercial trade the Philippine fibre is known as Manila, or Cebu, maguey, distinguishing it from other fibres known as maguey, such as that of the Mexican Agave lurida and various South American fibre-producing plants.

      Cantala is a tropical plant having lanceshaped, thorn-edged leaves growing directly from the stalk to form a dense rosette. The fibre is freed from the leaves by mechanical decortication, a scraping or peeling operation, or by a retting process common in the Philippines, employing saltwater and producing fairly weak and stained fibre.

      The fibre strands, white in colour, are 75 to 150 cm (30 to 60 inches) long, of fine diameter, and moisture-absorbent. Cantala is made into coarse twines serving the same purposes as twines of the related sisal and henequen plants but is softer and more pliant. It is used locally for woven fabrics and is mainly cultivated on the Indian subcontinent, in Indonesia, and in the Philippines.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • cantala — [kan′tə lə, kan tä′lə] n. [< ?] a hard fiber derived from the leaves of an agave (Agave cantala): used in making twine …   English World dictionary

  • cantala — Maguey Mag uey, n. [Sp. maguey, Mexican maguei and metl.] (Bot.) Any of several species of {Agave}, such as the {century plant} ({Agave Americana}), a plant requiring many years to come to maturity and blossoming only once before dying; and the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • cantala — Maguey Mag uey, n. [Sp. maguey, Mexican maguei and metl.] (Bot.) Any of several species of {Agave}, such as the {century plant} ({Agave Americana}), a plant requiring many years to come to maturity and blossoming only once before dying; and the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • cantala — noun 1. hard fiber used in making coarse twine; from Philippine agave plants • Syn: ↑Cebu maguey, ↑manila maguey • Hypernyms: ↑fiber, ↑fibre 2. Philippine plant yielding a hard fibre used in making coarse twine • Syn: ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • cantala — noun Etymology: New Latin, specific epithet of Agave cantala, perhaps from Sanskrit kaṇṭala babul, from kaṇṭa thorn Date: 1911 a hard fiber produced from the leaves of an agave (Agave cantala) …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • cantala — kantalinė agava statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Agavinių šeimos pluoštinis augalas (Agave cantula), paplitęs Šiaurės Amerikoje. atitikmenys: lot. Agave cantula angl. Bombay aloe; Bombay hemp; cantala; Cebu maguey; Manila maguey; maquey… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • cantala — can•ta•la [[t]kænˈtɑ lə[/t]] n. pl. las 1) a cordage fiber obtained from the leaves of a tropical plant Agave cantala[/ex] 2) pln the plant itself Also called maguey • Etymology: 1910–15; < NL, the species name (orig. cantula) …   From formal English to slang

  • Cantala-Agave — kantalinė agava statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Agavinių šeimos pluoštinis augalas (Agave cantula), paplitęs Šiaurės Amerikoje. atitikmenys: lot. Agave cantula angl. Bombay aloe; Bombay hemp; cantala; Cebu maguey; Manila maguey; maquey… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • cantala — can·ta·la …   English syllables

  • Agave cantala — Systematik …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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