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Spyrigira turfosa F. Gray © Biologie-resources

Spyrigira turfosa F. Gray © Protist-information service

Identification

Fibre type
Average fibre lenght
Average fibre width
Fibre ends
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases
Associated cells
Special features
Herzberg staining
Graff 'C' staining

Botanical classification

Spirogyra turfosa F. Gray

Order:

Zygnematales

Family:

Zygnemataceae

Plant growing area

It is commonly found in freshwaters reported from all continents.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Korea, Thailand.

Plant cultivation and use

There are more than 400 species of Spirogyra in the world. Spirogyra Turfosa is a genus of filamentous green algae that lives in freshwater, in shallow ponds, ditches and at the edges of large lakes. It grows under water until spring and then with increasing of heat and sun, it develops as a floating viscous filaments mass of few centimeters.

China:

Algae were used during the Seonjin period (265-316) and then under the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279).

In the "Yunju Mishu" or "Rare Books in Yunju", text written during the Song Dynasty and giving information on raw materials used in the manufacture of paper and provinces where they are used, it is stated that moss is used in the maritime areas of China. Is this moss, bog moss or algae ?

Korea:

Spyrogyra turfosa is the commonest macroscopic freshwater algae in Korea. Algae have been used in Korea as decorative element in paper, generally mixed with the bark of paper mulberry.

These papers were produced during the Joseon period (1392-1910) for paper correspondence or poetry.

Thailand:

This is a modern use for decorative papers.

Algaes come from the sea and are washed, cooked and beaten.

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.

China:

Suffixes zhi or chih = paper.

In China, unlike Korea and Japan, papers made with paper mulberry fibers are not prominent, the production of paper from bamboo fiber being the most important.

Korea:

Suffix ji = paper.

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

Used part of the plant:

Stem

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Language:

English

Identification

Fibre type
Average fibre lenght
Average fibre width
Fibre ends
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases
Associated cells
Special features
Herzberg staining
Graff 'C' staining

Botanical classification

Spirogyra turfosa F. Gray

Order:

Zygnematales

Family:

Zygnemataceae

Plant growing area

It is commonly found in freshwaters reported from all continents.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Korea, Thailand.

Plant cultivation and use

China:

Algae were used during the Seonjin period (265-316) and then under the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279).

Korea:

Spyrogyra turfosa is the commonest macroscopic freshwater algae in Korea. Algae have been used in Korea as decorative element in paper, generally mixed with the bark of paper mulberry.

These papers were produced during the Joseon period (1392-1910) for paper correspondence or poetry.

Thailand:

This is a modern use for decorative papers.

Algaes come from the sea and are washed, cooked and beaten.

Paper names

China:

Suffixes zhi or chih = paper.

In China, unlike Korea and Japan, papers made with paper mulberry fibers are not prominent, the production of paper from bamboo fiber being the most important.

Korea:

Suffix ji = paper.

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

Used part of the plant:

Stem

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Language:

English

Linum usitatissimum L. © O.W.Thomé Flora von Deutschland 1885

Identification

Fibre type	Bast fiber
Average fibre lenght	33mm (9-70mm)
Average fibre width	20 μm (5-40μm)
Fibre ends	Pointed or sometimes blunt.
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases	Prominent, creases in V shape. Dislocations, cross-marking and longitudinal striations.
Associated cells	Often present: Short pitted fibres, vessels.
Special features	Epidermis with stomata Longitudinal cut : nodes extending across the width Transversal cut: thick cell, small lumen. Hemp and flax fibres are very similar, can be differentiated by the associated cells.
Herzberg staining	Peach/Red.
Graff 'C' staining	Peach/Red.

Botanical classification

Linum usitatissimum L.

Order:

Malpighiales

Family:

Linaceae

Synonyms:

Linum angustifolium Huds.

Linum humile Mill.

Plant growing area

The origin of flax is uncertain but possibly the Mediterranean region and/or parts of West Asia and West Europewhere it is widely cultivated. It is cultivated throughout China except Hainan and Taiwan.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Korea, Japan.

Plant cultivation and use

Flax is an annual plant from 30 to 120cm in height. It requires rich and loose soil and a temperate climate is most favorable to it. In India flax is cultivated to 1900 m altitude. Its growth cycle is short, one hundred days. Flowering takes place in mid-June.

Linum usitatissimum was domesticated in the 8th millennium BC. in Syria or Iran. It was widely used in ancient Egypt as well as a textile fiber and as in diet. The use of linen was later adopted in countries around the Mediterranean, then in Northern and Western Europe (5th century BC.) and would have moved Eastward where its use would have begun in India around the 3rd century BC.

It is cultivated both for its use in textiles and for its seeds in the production of oil and bread. The seed-cakes are used as fodder.

For papermaking, fibers are obtained from either textiles, known as rag, or from remnant hemp fibres called “textile flax tow” after the textile fibers have been recovered, either from the whole plant (usually from seed oil flax).

Bast fibers for textile production are separated from the stem after retting, beating, scutching and drying.

Retting allows the separation of the fibrous parts of the plant by decomposition of the pectose that binds them, thanks to the action of bacterias. It is performed either in water or on fields.
It takes place after pulling the plants, collecting them in bales, and ginning them with a comb.
After retting the fibers are dried and the dry tow is ground to remove the remaining particles of bark.
Scutching is to rid the fibers from the woody part of the plant (boon) and separate the long strands from the tow. The work ends with combing. The fibers can then be carded, spun and then woven.

China:

Flax is one of the oldest fibers used in China in the manufacture of paper. It grew throughout China, especially in North and West areas, as ramie, hemp, jute.

All these plants are called "ma" in ancient Chinese documents.

Japan:

Used in Japan for 150 years when its cultivation started. It is mainly grown for its oil.

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.

Used part of the plant:

Stem

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Language:

Korean

Local scripture:

아마

Identification

Fibre type	Bast fiber
Average fibre lenght	33mm (9-70mm)
Average fibre width	20 μm (5-40μm)
Fibre ends	Pointed or sometimes blunt.
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases	Prominent, creases in V shape. Dislocations, cross-marking and longitudinal striations.
Associated cells	Often present: Short pitted fibres, vessels.
Special features	Epidermis with stomata Longitudinal cut : nodes extending across the width Transversal cut: thick cell, small lumen. Hemp and flax fibres are very similar, can be differentiated by the associated cells.
Herzberg staining	Peach/Red.
Graff 'C' staining	Peach/Red.

Botanical classification

Linum usitatissimum L.

Order:

Malpighiales

Family:

Linaceae

Synonyms:

Linum angustifolium Huds.

Linum humile Mill.

Plant growing area

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Korea, Japan.

Plant cultivation and use

It is cultivated both for its use in textiles and for its seeds in the production of oil and bread. The seed-cakes are used as fodder.

Bast fibers for textile production are separated from the stem after retting, beating, scutching and drying.

China:

Flax is one of the oldest fibers used in China in the manufacture of paper. It grew throughout China, especially in North and West areas, as ramie, hemp, jute.

All these plants are called "ma" in ancient Chinese documents.

Japan:

Used in Japan for 150 years when its cultivation started. It is mainly grown for its oil.

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.

Used part of the plant:

Stem

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Language:

Japanese

Local scripture:

あま

アマ

Identification

Fibre type	Bast fiber
Average fibre lenght	33mm (9-70mm)
Average fibre width	20 μm (5-40μm)
Fibre ends	Pointed or sometimes blunt.
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases	Prominent, creases in V shape. Dislocations, cross-marking and longitudinal striations.
Associated cells	Often present: Short pitted fibres, vessels.
Special features	Epidermis with stomata Longitudinal cut : nodes extending across the width Transversal cut: thick cell, small lumen. Hemp and flax fibres are very similar, can be differentiated by the associated cells.
Herzberg staining	Peach/Red.
Graff 'C' staining	Peach/Red.

Botanical classification

Linum usitatissimum L.

Order:

Malpighiales

Family:

Linaceae

Synonyms:

Linum angustifolium Huds.

Linum humile Mill.

Plant growing area

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Korea, Japan.

Plant cultivation and use

It is cultivated both for its use in textiles and for its seeds in the production of oil and bread. The seed-cakes are used as fodder.

Bast fibers for textile production are separated from the stem after retting, beating, scutching and drying.

China:

Flax is one of the oldest fibers used in China in the manufacture of paper. It grew throughout China, especially in North and West areas, as ramie, hemp, jute.

All these plants are called "ma" in ancient Chinese documents.

Japan:

Used in Japan for 150 years when its cultivation started. It is mainly grown for its oil.

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.

Used part of the plant:

Stem

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Language:

Chinese

Local scripture:

泥炭螺带鼓藻

Identification

Fibre type
Average fibre lenght
Average fibre width
Fibre ends
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases
Associated cells
Special features
Herzberg staining
Graff 'C' staining

Botanical classification

Spirogyra turfosa F. Gray

Order:

Zygnematales

Family:

Zygnemataceae

Plant growing area

It is commonly found in freshwaters reported from all continents.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Korea, Thailand.

Plant cultivation and use

China:

Algae were used during the Seonjin period (265-316) and then under the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279).

Korea:

Spyrogyra turfosa is the commonest macroscopic freshwater algae in Korea. Algae have been used in Korea as decorative element in paper, generally mixed with the bark of paper mulberry.

These papers were produced during the Joseon period (1392-1910) for paper correspondence or poetry.

Thailand:

This is a modern use for decorative papers.

Algaes come from the sea and are washed, cooked and beaten.

Paper names

China:

Suffixes zhi or chih = paper.

In China, unlike Korea and Japan, papers made with paper mulberry fibers are not prominent, the production of paper from bamboo fiber being the most important.

Korea:

Suffix ji = paper.

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

Used part of the plant:

Stem

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Language:

English

Identification

Fibre type	Bast fiber.
Average fibre lenght	5mm
Average fibre width	21μm
Fibre ends	Very variable, tapering rounded.
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases	Faint crossmarkings.
Associated cells	Often present. Pitted vessel elements and parenchyma cells. Presence of cratered vessels larger than those of flax, but similar to hemp.
Special features	Short fibers. Irregularly shaped fiber ends and walls lumen. Looks like woodpulp (vessels) and straw pulp. Transverse shape: square or rectangular.
Herzberg staining	Blue.
Graff 'C' staining	Fiber in yellow with blue or green lumen.

Botanical classification

Hibiscus cannabinus L.

Order:

Malvales

Family:

Malvaceae

Synonyms:

Abelmoschus verrucosus (Guill. & Perr.) Walp.

Furcaria cavanillesii Kostel.

Hibiscus unidens Lindl.

Hibiscus verrucosus Guill. & Perr.

Ketmia glandulosa Moench

Plant growing area

Native to Africa and India.

Cultivated in China (Guangdong, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Liaoning, Yunnan, Zhejiang), India, East-Asia, East Africa.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, India, Japan, Korea.

Plant cultivation and use

Hibiscus cannabinus is an annual herb which can reach more than 3 m high. The flowers are pale yellow or red with crimson centres. Blooming occurs from summer to autumn. Its growth is rapid; the plant can reach over four feet in four months.

Kenaf was grown in Egypt a millennium BC for making ropes and cloth (bags, sails).

The plant is grown all over Asia, mainly as fiber crop and for its oil which is used industrially. The fibers are used in the manufacture of coarse fabrics such as carpets.

Kenaf is used in India for the manufacture of cigarette paper. The rapid growth of the plant encourages papermakers to use it instead of wood in the production of paper pulp. Thus, the bast fibers or the whole stem itself are used.

Japan:

Kenaf is a modern paper fiber in Japan.

Preparation process for making paper

The harvest takes place in November-December when the stem has lost its leaves.

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.

Used part of the plant:

Stem

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Language:

English

Juncus effusus var. decipiens Buchenau © J.G. Sturm 1796

Juncus effusus var. decipiens Buchenau © C.Laroque

Juncus effusus var. decipiens Buchenau © Flora Siberia

Juncus effusus var. decipiens Buchenau © T.Taylor

Identification

Fibre type	Grass
Average fibre lenght	2mm (1-3mm)
Average fibre width	70µm (50-90µm)
Fibre ends	Square.
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases
Associated cells	Small taxodiods and cupressoid pits are present in mature fibres.
Special features	Fibres are wide, thin walled.
Herzberg staining	Pink/Purple
Graff 'C' staining	Pink/Purple

Botanical classification

Juncus effusus var. decipiens Buchenau

Order:

Poales

Family:

Juncaceae

Synonyms:

Juncus effusus var. solutus Fern. & Wiegand

Plant growing area

Widespread in temperate and mountainous tropical regions.

Bhutan, China (Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Shandong, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan, Zhejiang), Korea, India (Sikkim), Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam.

Grows at forest margins, wet grasslands, morasses, lakes, river banks, fields and rice fields at an altitude from 200 to 3400 m.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Korea.

Plant cultivation and use

Juncus effusus is a perennial plant which grows in dense clumps that can reach 1.5 m in height by 0.5 m in diameter. The stems are straight and smooth, and contain a spongy pith. Roots are rhizomes allowing it to colonize the edges of water. Flowering occurs in summer.

The plant adapts to various types of soils and can grow in heavy clay soils; it needs moist soils and can grow in water and develop in partial shade.

Its leaves are edible and the stem pith is anti-inflammatory, diuretic, and febrifuge.
Stems are used in basketry, mats making and thatching; the straw, called igusa in Japan, is commonly used to make tatami mats, especially in Kumamoto Prefecture. Dried stems can be twisted into ropes. Pith is used as a wick for oil lamps.

The stems are used to produce paper fiber giving an off-white paper. They are used in combination with the fibers of the bark of mulberry trees for making stencil paper.

Korea:

Used in combination with the bark of paper mulberry during the Joseon period (1392-1910) as substitute material.

Preparation process for making paper

Korea:

The stems are harvested in late summer or autumn, they are cut into pieces and then soaked for 24 hours in clear water. They are then cooked for 2 hours with lye and beaten in a blender.

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.

Japan:

Suffixes kami, gami, shi = papier.

Au Japon les papiers de kozo sont les plus nombreux.

Used part of the plant:

Stem

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Language:

English

Identification

Fibre type	Bast fiber.
Average fibre lenght	5mm
Average fibre width	21μm
Fibre ends	Very variable, tapering rounded.
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases	Faint crossmarkings.
Associated cells	Often present. Pitted vessel elements and parenchyma cells. Presence of cratered vessels larger than those of flax, but similar to hemp.
Special features	Short fibers. Irregularly shaped fiber ends and walls lumen. Looks like woodpulp (vessels) and straw pulp. Transverse shape: square or rectangular.
Herzberg staining	Blue.
Graff 'C' staining	Fiber in yellow with blue or green lumen.

Botanical classification

Hibiscus cannabinus L.

Order:

Malvales

Family:

Malvaceae

Synonyms:

Abelmoschus verrucosus (Guill. & Perr.) Walp.

Furcaria cavanillesii Kostel.

Hibiscus unidens Lindl.

Hibiscus verrucosus Guill. & Perr.

Ketmia glandulosa Moench

Plant growing area

Native to Africa and India.

Cultivated in China (Guangdong, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Liaoning, Yunnan, Zhejiang), India, East-Asia, East Africa.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, India, Japan, Korea.

Plant cultivation and use

Kenaf was grown in Egypt a millennium BC for making ropes and cloth (bags, sails).

The plant is grown all over Asia, mainly as fiber crop and for its oil which is used industrially. The fibers are used in the manufacture of coarse fabrics such as carpets.

Japan:

Kenaf is a modern paper fiber in Japan.

Preparation process for making paper

The harvest takes place in November-December when the stem has lost its leaves.

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.

Used part of the plant:

Stem

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Language:

English

Identification

Fibre type	Bast fiber.
Average fibre lenght	5mm
Average fibre width	21μm
Fibre ends	Very variable, tapering rounded.
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases	Faint crossmarkings.
Associated cells	Often present. Pitted vessel elements and parenchyma cells. Presence of cratered vessels larger than those of flax, but similar to hemp.
Special features	Short fibers. Irregularly shaped fiber ends and walls lumen. Looks like woodpulp (vessels) and straw pulp. Transverse shape: square or rectangular.
Herzberg staining	Blue.
Graff 'C' staining	Fiber in yellow with blue or green lumen.

Botanical classification

Hibiscus cannabinus L.

Order:

Malvales

Family:

Malvaceae

Synonyms:

Abelmoschus verrucosus (Guill. & Perr.) Walp.

Furcaria cavanillesii Kostel.

Hibiscus unidens Lindl.

Hibiscus verrucosus Guill. & Perr.

Ketmia glandulosa Moench

Plant growing area

Native to Africa and India.

Cultivated in China (Guangdong, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Liaoning, Yunnan, Zhejiang), India, East-Asia, East Africa.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, India, Japan, Korea.

Plant cultivation and use

Kenaf was grown in Egypt a millennium BC for making ropes and cloth (bags, sails).

The plant is grown all over Asia, mainly as fiber crop and for its oil which is used industrially. The fibers are used in the manufacture of coarse fabrics such as carpets.

Japan:

Kenaf is a modern paper fiber in Japan.

Preparation process for making paper

The harvest takes place in November-December when the stem has lost its leaves.

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.

Used part of the plant:

Stem

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Primary tabs

Spirogyra turfosa F. Gray

Spirogyra turfosa F. Gray

Linum usitatissimum L.

Linum usitatissimum L.

Linum usitatissimum L.

Spirogyra turfosa F. Gray

Hibiscus cannabinus L.

Juncus effusus var. decipiens Buchenau

Hibiscus cannabinus L.

Hibiscus cannabinus L.

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Primary tabs

Spirogyra turfosa F. Gray

Spirogyra turfosa F. Gray

Linum usitatissimum L.

Linum usitatissimum L.

Linum usitatissimum L.

Spirogyra turfosa F. Gray

Hibiscus cannabinus L.

Juncus effusus var. decipiens Buchenau

Hibiscus cannabinus L.

Hibiscus cannabinus L.

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