page_title: Thymelaeaceae
section_title: Ethnobotany and economic use
hierarchical_section_title: Thymelaeaceae / Ethnobotany and economic use
caption_attribution_description: Lagetta funifera = Funifera utilis Nova genera et species plantarum. Monachii [Munich] :Impensis Auctoris,1824-1829 [i.e. 1824-32].. biodiversitylibrary.org/page/741967
context_page_description: The Thymelaeaceae are a cosmopolitan family of flowering plants composed of 50 genera and 898 species. It was established in 1789 by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu. The Thymelaeaceae are mostly trees and shrubs, with a few vines and herbaceous plants.
context_section_description: Several genera are of economic importance. Gonystylus (Ramin) is valued for its comparatively soft, easily worked yellowish wood, but trade in all species in the genus are controlled by CITES. Many genera have inner bark yielding strong fibre suitable for the making of cordage and paper - a fact actually acknowledged in the naming of one of the genera, Funifera being the Latin for "bearer (provider) of rope". The barks of Thymelaea, Edgeworthia and Wikstroemia are used in paper-making, while Lagetta species are known as lacebark for their lacelike inner bark, the attractive appearance of which has led to their being used to make clothing and other utilitarian objects.
caption: The Brazilian Funifera utilis - its genus named for the suitability of its fibre for rope-making. (Under obsolete name Lagetta funifera).
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