Bast (biology)

This article is about the plant tissue. For the Egyptian goddess, see Bast (goddess).

Bast are the strong fibers in the phloem of a number of dicotyledonous plants, in particular hemp. They conduct synthesized nutrients from the leaves to other parts of the plant. The bast of some plants are commercially important fiber crops. Bast fibers are made to use rope, paper, etc. Bast shoes were woven from bast strips in forest areas of Eastern Europe in old times.