Vegetable flannel is a type offlannel using fibres from theScots pine, orPinus sylvestris, rather than traditionalwoollen fibres.[1] It is described as having ahemp like appearance, but with a tighter, softer texture.[2] In addition to this, the term can also describe coarselinen used for underclothing.[3]
Invented in the early 19th century by L. Léopold Lairitz of Germany, the manufacture of vegetable flannel became aBlack Forest industry due to the wide availability of the pines there which provided the raw materials.[4][5] The raw fibre, calledWaldwolle ("forest wool"), and thepine oil were separated, and then theWaldwolle wasspun into yarn or thread, and eitherwoven orknitted.[5]
By 1900, vegetable flannel was mainly woven atWrocław, which at the time was located in Germany.[2]
Vegetable flannel was promoted as ahypoallergenic option for those who could not wear wool, and was thought to be particularly good forrheumatism andneuralgia.[4][5] In the nineteenth century, this was attributed to thetannins and resins present in the fibre, and "formic acid, which creates a gentle and constant excitement of the skin."[5] Another contemporary article claimed that vegetable flannel regulated the release ofphosphorus and other elements from the invalid's body.[4] In 1900, vegetable flannel was widely used for blankets in German hospitals, prisons andbarracks as it was thought not to harbour pests and vermin.[2]
The GermanPolytechnisches Journal, which published several articles onWaldwolle as a promising new material, was later highly critical of marketing claims made for it. In an article in 1868 the journal stated that while the fibres extracted from pine needles were chemically identical tolinen orcotton fibres, their mechanical properties – coarse, short and smooth – were such that spinning yarn from them was unlikely to be possible. The journal reported it had inspected samples ofWaldwolle and found them to be mainly composed of cotton or wool and cotton blends with some pine fibre or pine oil added to provide a characteristic rough texture and pine scent.[6]
