Editing Kenaf (section)

==Characteristics==
[[Image:Kenaf.jpg|left|thumb|Dried kenaf stems]]
It is an [[annual plant|annual]] or [[biennial plant|biennial]] [[herbaceous]] plant (rarely a short-lived [[perennial plant|perennial]]) growing to 1.5–3.5 m tall with a woody base. The [[Plant stem|stems]] are 1–2&nbsp;cm diameter, often but not always branched. The [[leaf|leaves]] are 10–15&nbsp;cm long and variable in shape; leaves near the base of the stems are deeply lobed (3 to 7 lobes) and leaves near the top of the stem are shallowly lobed or unlobed [[lanceolate]]. The [[flower]]s are 8–15&nbsp;cm in diameter. The flower base color can be white, yellow, or purple, and the white and yellow flowers are dark purple in the center. The [[fruit]] is a [[capsule (fruit)|capsule]] 2&nbsp;cm in diameter and contains several [[seed]]s.

===Fibre===
[[File:Kenaf long fiber from the bast.jpg|thumb|Kenaf long fibre from the bast]]
The fibres in kenaf are found in the [[Bast fibre|bast]] (bark) and core (wood). The bast constitutes 40% of the plant. "Crude fibre" separated from the bast is multi-cellular, consisting of several individual cells stuck together.<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.ncsu.edu/bioresources/BioRes_06/BioRes_06_4_5260_Paridah_ASZ_Retting_Bast_Fiber_Quality_Review_1312.pdf |title=Retting Process Of Some Bast Plant Fibres And Its Effect On Fibre Quality: A Review |author1=Paridah Md. Tahir |author2=Amel B. Ahmed |author3=Syeed O. A. SaifulAzry |author4=Zakiah Ahmed |year=2011 |journal=BioResources |volume=6 |issue=4 |pages=5260–5281|doi=10.15376/biores.6.4.5260-5281 }}</ref> The individual fibre cells are about 2–6&nbsp;mm long and slender. The cell wall is thick (6.3&nbsp;μm). Kenaf fibres up to 2 metres long can be obtained from the bast and it is becoming more widely used in polymer composites and the concrete [https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/1/357 industry].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Baghban |first1=Mohammad Hajmohammadian |last2=Mahjoub |first2=Reza |date=2020-01-03 |title=Natural Kenaf Fiber and LC3 Binder for Sustainable Fiber-Reinforced Cementitious Composite: A Review |journal=Applied Sciences |language=en |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=357 |doi=10.3390/app10010357 |doi-access=free |issn=2076-3417 |hdl=11250/2638874 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> The kenaf fibre needs to be treated properly to remove the lignin. The tensile strength of the kenaf fibre is about 800 MPa, which makes it a suitable natural fibre in engineering [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0950061814000609 applications].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mahjoub |first1=Reza |last2=Yatim |first2=Jamaludin Mohamad |last3=Mohd Sam |first3=Abdul Rahman |last4=Hashemi |first4=Sayed Hamid |date=March 2014 |title=Tensile properties of kenaf fiber due to various conditions of chemical fiber surface modifications |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0950061814000609 |journal=Construction and Building Materials |language=en |volume=55 |pages=103–113 |doi=10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2014.01.036|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The core is about 60% of the plant and has fibre cells that are thick (≈38&nbsp;μm) but short (0.5&nbsp;mm) and thin-walled (3&nbsp;μm).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nanko |first=Hirko |author2=Button, Allan |author3=Hillman, Dave |title=The World of Market Pulp |publisher=WOMP, LLC |year=2005 |location=Appleton, WI, USA |page=258 |isbn=0-615-13013-5}}</ref> [[Paper pulp]] can be produced using the whole stem, and therefore contains both bast and core fibres. The pulp quality is similar to that of [[hardwood]].
[[File:Kenaf Plant.jpg|thumb|Kenaf plant]] 
[[File:Kenaf Plants Many.jpg|thumb|Potted kenaf plants]]