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Botany, phloem.
Also called bast fiber. any of several strong, woody fibers, as flax, hemp, ramie, or jute, obtained from phloem tissue and used in the manufacture of woven goods and cordage.
Contemporary Examples

bast himself spent roughly $350,000 preparing for the end, but it does not have to be so expensive.
How to Prepare for December 21, 2012? Preppers Weigh In Andrew Carter December 20, 2012

“2012 is a great excuse to prepare for the worst,” bast says.
How to Prepare for December 21, 2012? Preppers Weigh In Andrew Carter December 20, 2012

bast says that what we see as the end begins will depend on what form the end takes.
How to Prepare for December 21, 2012? Preppers Weigh In Andrew Carter December 20, 2012

bast, it turns out, runs a bit of a side business involving favors for children done in exchange for secrets.
Inside George R.R. Martin’s New Book (Mild Buzzkill: Only One Story is Martin’s) William O’Connor June 16, 2014

His entry takes the reader through a day of mischief with bast, the somewhat mysterious creature from the Chronicles series.
Inside George R.R. Martin’s New Book (Mild Buzzkill: Only One Story is Martin’s) William O’Connor June 16, 2014

Historical Examples

All bast fibers are obtained near the outer surface of the plant stems.
Textiles and Clothing Kate Heintz Watson

Money: give Mr. bast money, and don’t bother about his ideals.
Howards End E. M. Forster

This layer is made up largely of tough fiberlike cells known as bast fibers.
A Civic Biology George William Hunter

Now that the first shock was over, she saw that there was every reason to premise a Mrs. bast.
Howards End E. M. Forster

Xylem, zī′lem, n. the woody part of vegetable tissue—opposed to the phlom, or bast part.
Chambers’s Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) Various

noun
Also called bass. fibrous material obtained from the phloem of jute, hemp, flax, lime, etc, used for making rope, matting, etc
(botany) another name for phloem
n.

“inner bark of the linden tree,” Old English bæst, a general Germanic word (cf. Old Norse, Old Saxon, Middle Dutch, Old High German, German bast), of uncertain origin.