A member of the hibiscus family, kenaf is related to cotton and okra. First cultivated 4,000 years ago in Africa, it grows well in the southern United States, although the seeds seldom mature to the point of germination outside the tropics.

Kenaf grows to heights of 12 to 14 feet in as little as 4 to 5 months. U.S. Department of Agriculture studies show that kenaf yields 6 to 10 tons of dry fiber per acre per year. This is 3 to 5 times greater than the yield for southern pine trees, which can take from 7 to 40 years to reach harvestable size. While the flowering can last 3 to 4 weeks, or more, per plant, each individual flower blooms for only one day.

The stalk of the kenaf plant consists of two distinct fiber types:

• The outer fiber is called "bast" and comprises roughly 40 percent of the stalk's dry weight. The refined bast fibers measure 2.6 mm and are similar to the best softwood fibers used to make paper.
• The whiter, inner fiber is called "core", and comprises 60 percent of the stalk's dry weight. These refined fibers measure .6 mm and are comparable to hardwood tree fibers.