A friend sent me a link that included this word. Here is
what Atomica (yes, wow, it is a "blast") has about it:

es·par·to (ĭ-spär'tô)
n., pl. es·par·tos.
A tough, wiry grass (Stipa tenacissima) of northern Africa, yielding a fiber used in making paper and as cordage.
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My question is for you students of Latin out there:
am I right in thinking tenacissima means tenacious?
Because it's so tough? (The fibers are used for making
paper--that's what the link was about.)