Roger H. Newman, Stephen E.K. Tauwhare, Sue Scheele, Rangi Te Kanawa
Leaf-fiber lignins of Phormium varieties compared bysolid-state 13C NMR spectroscopy
Solid-state NMR spectroscopy was used to determine total lignin and to distinguish between the syringyl and guaiacyl components of Phormium leaves. Fibers obtained from the upper (shiny) and lower (dull) surfaces of a P. tenax leaf showed guaiacyl lignin contents of 1.5% and 5.4% by weight, respectively. Guaiacyl lignin is known to have poor photostability, so the analyses supported a traditional view of the upper-surface fibers as the more suitable for textiles. All other analyses involved mixtures of fibers from both upper and lower surfaces. They showed no detectable differences in guaiacyl content between leaves within a ramet, or between ramets in a P. tenax bush, with a mean value of 2.2% for 20 leaves. There were no detectable differences in guaiacyl content between bushes of the variety Taeore grown at different sites, with a mean value of 2.7% for 6 sites. There were detectable differences in guaiacyl content between 15 named varieties grown at a single site, with values as low as 2.3% and as high as 4.5%. Lowest guaiacyl contents were found in varieties traditionally used for textiles. The highest guaiacyl lignin contents, 6.0% and 5.8%, were found in P. cookianum and in a plant grown from stock obtained at Norfolk Island. Syringyl lignin contents were relatively uniform between varieties, with a mean value of 6.7%.
Holzforschung, Walter de Gruyter
Print ISSN: 0018-3830
Volume: 59, 02/2005
Pages: 147 - 152
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