Esparto, halfah grass, or esparto grass is a fiber produced from two species of perennial grasses of north Africa, Spain and Portugal. It is used for crafts, such as cords, basketry, and espadrilles. Stipa tenacissima and Lygeum spartum are the species used to produce esparto.
Weaving a strip of plaited esparto (Luis Mondejar, Albacete)
Esparto sandals discovered in Spain dating to c. 5000 BC
Distribution area of esparto grass (Stipa tenacissima)
Stipa tenacissima
Poaceae or Gramineae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns and pasture. The latter are commonly referred to collectively as grass.
Poaceae
Grass flowers
Drawing of Anomochloa marantoidea, one of the most primitive living grass species
Setaria verticillata from Panicoideae