High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Sisal is an agave that yields a stiff fiber traditionally used in making twine, rope and also dartboards. It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as sisal hemp because hemp was for centuries a major source for fiber, so other fibers were sometimes named after it. The plant's origin is uncertain; while traditionally it was deemed to be a native of Yucatan, there are no records of botanical collections from there. Gentry hypothesized a Chiapas origin, on the strength of traditional local usage. In the 19th century, sisal cultivation spread to Florida, the Caribbean islands and Brazil, as well as to countries in Africa, notably Tanzania and Kenya, and Asia.