soft, woody fibre obtained from stems of dicotyledonous plants (flowering plants with net-veined leaves) and used for textiles and cordage. Such fibres, usually characterized by fineness and flexibility, are also known as "soft" fibres, distinguishing them from the coarser, less flexible fibres of the leaf, or "hard," fibre group. Commercially useful bast fibres include flax, hemp, jute, kenaf, ramie, roselle, sunn, and urena.