sparto, or esparto grass, is a perennial grass grown in northwest Africa and southern Spain employed for crafts (cords, baskets, espadrilles). It is also used for fiber production for paper making. The fiber makes a high quality paper often used in book manufacturing. First used in Great Britain in 1850, it has been extensively used there and in Europe, but is rarely found in the United States because of the cost of transport. It is usually combined with five to ten percent wood pulp.
