Dictionary:

henequen

  (hĕn'ĭ-kwĭn)

1. A tropical American plant (Agave fourcroydes) having large, thick, sword-shaped leaves that yield a coarse reddish fiber used in making rope and twine.
2. The fiber obtained from this plant.

[Spanish henequén, perhaps of Arawakan origin.]

A fiber obtained from the leaves of Agave four-croydes. It is produced only in Mexico, Cuba and El Salvador. Henequen is sometimes incorrectly called sisal, which is a closely related plant grown in Brazil and Africa. See also Sisal.

The greatest quantity of henequen fiber goes into farm twine, followed by industrial tying twine and then light-duty rope. Padding for innerspring mattresses is made from the lowest grades of fiber and from flume tow, the short, tangled fiber that can be recovered from the cleaning operation. Henequen is exported as manufactured twine, rope, or padding, not as raw fiber. See also Natural fiber.

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