a kind of hemp obtained from the abaca plant in the Philippines
Philippine banana tree having leafstalks that yield Manila hemp used for rope and paper etc
Musa textilis, a species of banana tree native to the Philippines grown for its textile, rope- and papermaking fibre.
The word comes from the Spanish term abacá, which was borrowed directly from the Tagalog language. Originally, it referred to the fiber obtained from the leaves of the banana plant.