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Botanical name
Common name
Fiber
Formation aid
Dye
Papers
Wisteria floribunda (willd.) DC
Identification
Fibre type
Bast fiber
Average fibre lenght
1,7 mm (0.9 – 2.6)
Average fibre width
17,5 µm (9.3 – 24.8)
Fibre ends
Blunt.
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases
Les prominent fiber wall; no cross-marking.
Associated cells
Special features
Herzberg staining
Purple.
Graff 'C' staining
Yellow
.
Botanical classification
Wisteria floribunda (willd.) DC
Order:
Fabales
Family:
Fabaceae
Synonyms:
Glycine floribunda
Willd.
Kraunhia floribunda
(Willd.) Taub.
Phaseolodes floribundum
(Willd.) Kuntze
Rehsonia floribunda
(Willd.) Stritch
Plant growing area
China
(Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Henan, Hebei, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Shandong, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Yunnan, Zhejiang),
Japan
(Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu),
Korea
,
Taiwan
.
Use area in the manufacture of paper
China, Korea.
Plant cultivation and use
Wisteria floribunda is a deciduous woody liana. It prefers moist soils and full sun.
Lianas can reach 30m length. Blooming takes place in early spring. Flowers which forms grapes reaching 50cm length, are pale purple. Fruits are poisonous but edible after cooking. Flowers are also eaten and leaves are used to make tea. Seeds have diuretic properties.
Fibers from the stems are long and are used to make a paper with a buff color.
China:
Wisteria floribunda fibers were used in China long before in Korea.
The use of Wisteria floribunda is popular in the Sui dynasty (581-618), the Five Dynasties (581-960) and Tang dynasty (618-907). It disappears after the Tang period because its growth is slow and the quantities obtained were scarce.
The use of the plant is cited in "
Yunju Mishu
" or "
Rare Books of Yunju
", text written during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) which provides guidance on raw materials used in the manufacture of paper and provinces where they are used.
Korea:
From the Joseon period (1392-1910), raw materials traditionally used for paper production, mainly bark of Broussonetias begin to fail. Papermakers face to a growing demand for paper stimulated by the development of publications initiated during the Goryeo period (907-1392). Other plants will be used to provide a fiber supplement such as glycine, rice, oat and barley straws, bamboo, jute, cotton and hemp but also willow leaves, reeds, the bark and needles of pine.
Wisteria floribunda seems to have been used very early, since the Goryeo period.
Wisteria is used alone or mixed with Broussonetia Kazinoki, for the manufacture of paper devoted to white fans as the paper has a very smooth surface.
Preparation process for making paper
Korea:
Stems are harvested in summer. After removing the leaves they are steamed. They are cooked for 3 hours in alkaline lye. They are then crushed in a mill or a mortar.
Vernacular names
Chinese
Duo hua zi teng
多花紫藤, 日本紫藤
Japanese
Fuji
フジ
Korean
Deungnamu
등나무
French
Glycine du Japon
English
Japanese wisteria
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
Deungpiji
Used part of the plant:
Bark
Use for paper making:
Fiber
