Esparto grass

Stipa tenacissima

Lygeum spartum

Stipa tenacissima is a perennial grass grown in northwest Africa and the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula employed for crafts (cords, baskets, espadrilles, etc. It is also used for fiber production for paper making.). Lygeum spartum, another species of grass, is also used in combination with true esparto, and is also sometimes called "esparto grass" or albardine. In the last century the manufacture of esparto was very important in Hellín.