Pith < back

Pith is a spongy tissue commonly found within the stems of Aeschynomene aspera—a plant commonly found in marshy regions of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malyasia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.

In the 1800s, Pith was used as a helmet liner material.

Thanks to its light weight, “Pith helmets” were popular amongst 19th century European colonizers operating in hot climates. It’s worth noting that not all pith helmets actually contained pith; some contained cork, which was readily available in Europe. Pith helmets were in active use until the 1940s.

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