Sparto – the secret textile fiber of the Mediterranean

MÌA Magazine © Patricia Muriale

In springtime, the Calabrian mountains are covered in golden splendor, filling the air with an intense scent. The plant with its bright yellow blossoms, which to some is nothing but unwanted wild growth, is sparto (Spartium junceum) better known as Spanish broom[*I], rush broom, or weaver's broom. What most people would not know: Sparto used to play an important role as a plant fibre for most Mediterranean cultures. 

With a background in fashion design, I thought I knew all about fibres, natural or chemical. I can not recall ever having covered sparto fibres in our curriculum when still at uni. It seems to be the best-kept secret within a group of dedicated artisans from the Mediterranean. Like a secret ingredient in Nonna’s recipes. 

If you have an interest in natural fibres that hold the key to sustainable and eco-friendly textile production, then this topic is for you. Also if you are fascinated by oral traditions, that have been passed down for generations. We want to explore the origin of sparto and its processing, its journey throughout history, why it got widely forgotten, and if there are any benefits in bringing it back. 

A European story of pastoral riches 

We first came in contact with the existence of sparto when talking to Tina Macrì, a weaver and founder of the Cooperativa Aracne in the Calabrian town Gerace, who explained to us all the different materials they use traditionally. In her workshop, she uses Ginestra, as it is called in Italy, mainly for table cloth and other home decor textiles, since they do not get the finest yarn out of it, and with its natural itchy structure, it would not be considered comfortable to wear.

Calabria is rich in authentic manifestations of popular traditions of many kinds, telling a story of the origins of European culture itself. While the art of weaving, in particular, is still deeply rooted in the region’s cultural heritage - with distinguished designs that are based on ancient Greek, Byzantine, and even Arabic patterns - weaving with sparto has long been an activity of some importance in various areas. Due to the complex process of harvesting and spinning, it became increasingly rare, but still survived until today in some centers of excellence of the Calabrian textile tradition such as Gerace, Bova, Samo, Stilo, Tiriolo, and Longobucco, to name just a few. [1]

But not only Calabrian weavers are accustomed to sparto. In most rural areas of Greece, south Italy or the Iberian Peninsula, the fibre has been collected and processed since ancient times mainly by the peasant population to obtain inexpensive fabrics for their own use.

Unlike silk, which in the past caused a period of economic wealth and recognition in the clerical and aristocratic world and, thus, can still be traced in old documents and historical notes, sparto was a less glamorous fibre and written documentation is scarce.

Therefore, it does not surprise us that in art history museums of the world, traces of ancient silk weaving can still be found as part of their textile collections, such as beautiful jacquard and damask samples; but pastoral art has long been overlooked and only displayed in small local history museums.

Since sparto has always been considered a multipurpose plant with many properties, but mostly for its inexpensiveness and accessibility, it became quickly clear to us that this plant plays an important role in pastoral traditions. 

Iris Stefanidou Loi, Athen and London based designer and graduate of the Greek University of the Aegean, who conducted most of her research based on Greek testimonies, tells us the extent of the plant’s use by the peasant population, from fibre to pigment, and even its nectar for honey.

“People exploited almost every part of the plant; the stems, the leaves, the seeds in various ways and under multiple processes, to take advantage of the broom’s properties and ease their everyday life. However, the low efficiency of the traditional fibre extraction processes from its branches gradually led to the abandonment of the practices and of the broom itself.” [2]

The robust and vigorous shrub was mainly used for the production of common textiles for a variety of purposes, and almost solely by the pastoral population, who - and this we cannot emphasize enough - only knew oral traditions. 

The only written testimonies are those of ancient Greek scholars, such as Homer’s Iliad from the 8th century B.C. The cultivation of the plant within the Greek territories, thus including Italy’s boot tip, dates back almost 3000 years ago, in the era of the Magna Graecia. (*II) 

To quote Helen Bradley-Griebel, from her research paper Sparto: A Greek Textile Plant: 

“Sparto's use for rope and textile manufacture may reach back into Greek prehistory as Homer mentions sparto ropes in the Iliad. Writing in the 1st century A.D., Pliny, in eight books of his Natural History discusses sparto as a source for making ship's rope, bedding, shepherd's clothes, and footwear. This testimonial gives evidence for the use of sparto in antiquity, but these sources do not provide complete descriptions of processing methods'' [3]

And here it becomes interesting, comparing the research of our sources, the methods are still very much alive, and alike. Both in rural Greece, and Calabria. 

To us, it is important to mention that the common people always upheld their very own artistic riches, manifested in beautiful artisanal traditions that survived until this day. What astonishes us, is the fact that those traditions, including the processing of sparto from plant to fiber to yarn, have been prayed down and preserved for generations, exclusively in oral form, by illiterate women. When comparing those oral testimonies from modern Greece to those of modern-day Calabria, we can see striking similarities in traditions. With a congruent procedure being practiced, we have to assume that the information must have been preserved over time without any alterations to the process since archaic times.   

A valuable documentation of the tradition of sparto processing in his Calabrian hometown Longobucco comes from Dr. Francesco De Simone. For his thesis "TESSERE A LONGOBUCCO: a life story" he interviewed his mother, who is a master weaver and has been using the sparto fibre like many other local women before her. He describes the very complicated and time-consuming procedure from harvest to spinning meticulously (our full translation of his testimony can be found in the footnotes *III) that involves endless repetition of boiling, beating, and leaving the stems under heavy stones in the running water of a local stream for several weeks to enforce the chemical process. 

Through conducting interviews with Greek artisans, Bradley-Griebel can tell us a similar story and also gives a good overview of the customs and traditions related to the processing of sparto. She tells us that the whole family contributed to the harvesting operations, carried out in the early summer months, which could prove to be complex and tiring, with the need for reaching rocky cliffs and steep areas, where the plant proliferated. [4] This explains why, with changes in the economical landscape, accelerating in the 1950s, and with the rise of cheap textiles from Asia, flooding the European market, Spanish broom has lost its popularity over time. But since it is a sprawling plant, it still covers huge areas of many Mediterranean areas, as all it needs to grow is the sun.

According to Iris Stefanidou Loi, the first five steps of the workmanship of sparto are also not so different from traditional flax processing. First, you have the harvesting. Then the next step is called retting “a microbial process during which the chemical bonds break,...”. After this follows the breaking, which “shutters the hard inner core of the plant, making it easier to release the outer fibers.” Followed by the scutching or beating, with mostly handmade tools, just as those used in Calabria. And lastly, the combing or hackling of the fibers, which are usually still “full with chuffs and knots from the scutching process”.[5] All this is followed by two final steps: spinning and weaving. 

A super fibre for the future?

Despite this complex processing, and thanks to the help of local farmers and cooperatives who are still producing the fibre, some traditional weaving workshops in Calabria use sparto to produce table cloth, blankets, and other home decor textiles.  

Other reasons for the survival of sparto are its outstanding qualities. Some of them could lead to a comeback of the fibre into modern textile manufacturing.  

Iris Stefanidou Loi explains that the high quality of the fibre has been overlooked for the wrong reasons. She finds that Spanish broom, compared to other vegetable fibres, has a much higher resistance towards humidity, higher flexibility, and therefore longevity that is outstanding, she also concludes in her research that:

“Most of the morphological characteristics of Spanish broom fibers are very similar to those of flax and their properties are comparable. Moreover, the tensile properties and thermal stability of Spanish broom fibers are as good or even better than flax fibers. Overall, the conclusion is that Spanish broom fibers can successfully replace flax fibers in the textile industry or in the production of composite materials.” [6]

Other environmentally important aspects she names are that the plant is very apologetic and undemanding. It can grow almost anywhere with little water needed, as all it needs is enough sunlight. When you look at the devastating effects that cotton has on its environment, the benefits of sparto become evident. Finally, due to its sprawling nature, controlled exploitation of the plant could also mean a way of wild-growth-control. 

While it is admirable that traditions are still kept alive by dedicated people, that to these days bring to life ancient procedures, there are many reasons why modernising the sparto processing can no longer be overlooked: the durability and quality of the fabric, not to mention the benefits to our nature - the natural abundance of the plant and the negligible need for water - all qualities that make this fibre more attractive for a bigger and more conscious market.  

For those of you, who love the slow-economy aspect of this alternative plant fibre, you can try to follow the procedure step by step and self-sufficiently produce your own yarn.