One of the strongest of the hard fibers, commercially known as Manila hemp. Abaca is obtained from the leafstalks of a member of the banana family, Musa textilis. The plant resembles the fruiting banana, but is a bit shorter in stature, bears small inedible fruits, and has leaves that stand more erect than those of the banana and are slightly narrower, more pointed, and 5–7 ft (1.5–2 m) long. Relatives of abaca grow wild throughout Southeast Asia, but the plant was domesticated long ago in the southern Philippines. Experiments have succeeded in growing plants yielding fiber in a few other parts of the world, chiefly Middle America, but commercial production has come almost entirely from the Philippines and Borneo.