Hessian (UK: /ˈhɛ.si.ən/, US: /ˈhɛ.ʃən/[1]), burlap in North America,[2] or crocus in The Caribbean,[3] is a woven fabric made of vegetable fibres: usually the skin of the jute plant,[4][5][6] or sisal leaves.[7] It is generally used (in the crude tow form known as gunny) for rough handling, such as to make sacks in which to ship farm products and sandbags (although woven plastics now often serve these purposes), and for wrapping tree-root balls.[8][9]