A type of coarse grass (Stipa tenacissima) found in North African deserts, used for making ropes, matting, and paper; also called esparto grass.
From Arabic 'halfa,' the native name for this desert grass used throughout North Africa for centuries, borrowed into English through colonial contact.
Halfa grass is so tough and fibrous that it's been used for thousands of years to make rope strong enough to hold ships' sails and equipment—it's essentially the ancient world's version of synthetic fiber!
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