diff --git a/src/lib/str.rs b/src/lib/str.rs
index 2f695b794be3..a3e34a8ae452 100644
--- a/src/lib/str.rs
+++ b/src/lib/str.rs
@@ -64,7 +64,6 @@ native "rust" mod rustrt {
     fn str_byte_len(s: str) -> uint;
     fn str_alloc(n_bytes: uint) -> str;
     fn str_from_ivec(b: &[mutable? u8]) -> str;
-    fn str_from_vec(b: vec[mutable? u8]) -> str;
     fn str_from_cstr(cstr: sbuf) -> str;
     fn str_from_buf(buf: sbuf, len: uint) -> str;
     fn str_push_byte(s: str, byte: uint) -> str;
@@ -196,7 +195,7 @@ fn unsafe_from_bytes(v: &[mutable? u8]) -> str {
     ret rustrt::str_from_ivec(v);
 }
 
-fn unsafe_from_byte(u: u8) -> str { ret rustrt::str_from_vec([u]); }
+fn unsafe_from_byte(u: u8) -> str { ret rustrt::str_from_ivec(~[u]); }
 
 fn str_from_cstr(cstr: sbuf) -> str { ret rustrt::str_from_cstr(cstr); }
 
diff --git a/src/rt/rust_builtin.cpp b/src/rt/rust_builtin.cpp
index 2037714aae62..c6a3c8c01d6f 100644
--- a/src/rt/rust_builtin.cpp
+++ b/src/rt/rust_builtin.cpp
@@ -304,23 +304,6 @@ str_from_ivec(rust_task *task, rust_ivec *v)
     return st;
 }
 
-extern "C" CDECL rust_str *
-str_from_vec(rust_task *task, rust_vec *v)
-{
-    rust_str *st =
-        vec_alloc_with_data(task,
-                            v->fill + 1,  // +1 to fit at least '\0'
-                            v->fill,
-                            1,
-                            v->fill ? (void*)v->data : NULL);
-    if (!st) {
-        task->fail();
-        return NULL;
-    }
-    st->data[st->fill++] = '\0';
-    return st;
-}
-
 extern "C" CDECL rust_str *
 str_from_cstr(rust_task *task, char *sbuf)
 {
diff --git a/src/rt/rustrt.def.in b/src/rt/rustrt.def.in
index 08847a673c00..5e208ca80c9d 100644
--- a/src/rt/rustrt.def.in
+++ b/src/rt/rustrt.def.in
@@ -65,7 +65,6 @@ str_byte_len
 str_from_buf
 str_from_cstr
 str_from_ivec
-str_from_vec
 str_push_byte
 str_slice
 take_chan