Wikstroemia trichotoma (Thunb.) Makino

Wikstroemia trichotoma (Thunb.) Makino © T.H. Choi

Identification

Fibre type	Bast fiber
Average fibre lenght	4 mm
Average fibre width	19,8 μ
Fibre ends	Variable.
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases	Cross-markings.
Associated cells
Special features	Faint wall.
Herzberg staining	Purple.
Graff 'C' staining	Reddish purple.

Botanical classification

Wikstroemia trichotoma (Thunb.) Makino

Order:

Malvales

Family:

Thymelaeaceae

Synonyms:

Diplomorpha ellipsocarpa (Maxim.) Nakai

Diplomorpha trichotoma (Thunb.) Nakai

Passerina japonica Siebold & Zucc.

Queria trichotoma Thunb.

Wikstroemai ellipsocarpa Maxim.

Wikstroemia japonica (Siebold & Zucc.) Miq.

Plant growing area

China (Anhui, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang), Japan (wild. Kiushu, West Japan), South Korea.

Grows in open forests, among shrubs on limestone hills, shaded places, roadsides, ca. 600 m.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Korea, Japan.

Plant cultivation and use

Wikstroemia trichotoma is a shrub of the Thymelaceae family, which includes nearly 500 species in 44 genera. There is a great confusion among the various Wikstroemias, Stelleras, Edgeworthias and especially Daphnes, because their morphologies are very similar.

Thymelaceaes are base plants for paper making in the Himalaya areas. The plants are valued for the large amount of hemicelluloses contained in the bark. They are also very much used in Chinese medicine.

Wikstroemia sikokiana is an evergreen shrub, from 0,5m to 3,5m tall. Blooming takes place in summer. Its fruits are not edible and it has no known medicinal use.

China:

There are 14 wikstroemia species in Yunnan among which 6 are located in the northwest (delavayi, leptophylla, canescens, lichiangensis, scytophylla, lamatsoensis).

Preparation process for making paper

Japan:

Harvesting takes place every three years from mid-March to late April when the sap is rising and makes the fibers bright and makes debarking easier.
The bark is peeled off immediately without steaming and hung to dry. At this stage the bark is called "black bark".

Alkaline cooking is done at this stage and lasts 2 to 3 hours. The alkaline agent is wood ashes lye or lime or caustic soda. Bleaching is sometimes made with chlorine.

After cooking barks are placed in water for several days to remove cooking residues. It also allows achieving bleaching.

Beating is done manually or with a small hollander beater. Sorting hard impurities is done manually or, more recently, with diaphragm flat screen because the fibers are relatively short. In this case the sorting is done after pulp beating.

Vernacular names

Chinese

Bai hua rao hua	白花荛花

Japanese

Ki ganpi	キガンピ, 黄雁皮

Korean

Sandaknamu	산 닥나무

Paper names

In Asia and particularly in China, Korea and Japan, the papers are intended for a wide range of use: Papers for calligraphy and art, Papers for ceremonies, Paper as a medium of exchange, money paper, Papers for making clothes, wall hangings and bedding, Papers for architecture, interior design, Papers for crafts of various kinds, for domestic purposes and leisure. The names assigned to the paper refers to different notions: The material used, The place of production, The method of production, Appearance, Dimensions, Use, The name of an artist or a studio etc.

Korea:

Suffix ji = paper.

In Korea papers made with paper mulberry bark are the most numerous.

Papers

Korea

Anpiji
Gyowaeji
Sunwaeji
Waejeoji

Used part of the plant:

Bark

Use for paper making:

Fiber

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Wikstroemia trichotoma (Thunb.) Makino

Wikstroemia trichotoma (Thunb.) Makino

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