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Language:

Local scripture:

马尼拉麻

Identification

Type de fibres	Leaf
Average fibre lenght	2 - 6mm
Average fibre width	24µm (16-32µm)
Fibre ends	Tapering pointed, rounded.
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases	Very faint and very fine.
Associated cells	Rectangular epidermal cells, typical stomata. Parenchyma, silica cells, and short, pitted vessel elements.
Special features	Smooth, lustrous fibers with irregular width. Transversal cut: polygonal oval shape, thin walls.
Herzberg staining	Blue/Gray
Graff 'C' staining	Blue/Gray

Botanical classification

Musa textilis Née

Order:

Zingiberales

Family:

Musaceae

Plant growing area

Native to Philippines and Indonesia (Borneo and Sumatra). Cultivated in Latin America.

China (Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan). Thailand.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Korea, Japan, Thailand.

Thailand:

North of Thailand

Plant cultivation and use

Abaca is a type of banana tree which fruit is not edible. It is a pseudostem plant reaching approximately 6m in height and which can live 10 years. The leaves grow from the trunk. It is grown in well-drained loamy soils.
The qualities of the plant to produce long fibers used in making ropes are known to Europeans since the 19th century. They were traditionally used in the Philippines for making fishing nets and ropes resistant to salt water.
The use of the plant to make textile fibers and paper, bags and carpets, is recent.
The very long fibers are extracted from the stem.

China:

Musa textilis may have been used in southern China to make clothes.

Japan:

It is a modern paper fiber in Japan. Abaca is used in the manufacture of kairyo hanshi or improved hanshi papers, after World War II.

In Okinawa Prefecture fibers of a local banana (musa paradisiach) are used to make paper.

Korea:

It is a modern paper fiber in Korea.

Thailand:

This is essentially a modern fiber used to make fancy paper and handicrafts. It is also used to make writing or printing papers.

Preparation process for making paper

Harvesting takes place every 3-8 months. The plant should grow 18 to 25 months before harvesting.

Collecting the fibers is performed in three stages: steaming that allows the separation of primary and secondary sheath of the leaf, stripping to get the fibres and drying in the sun.

The stem of the banana is used to make fibers for textiles: the rod is separated into strips and scraped (between a board and a knife blade) to remove the spongy part and separate the fibers. These are dried in the sun so they separate. They must be then sorted by combing and put into bundles.

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 = paper.

In Japan kozo papers are the most numerous.

Used part of the plant:

Leaf

Stem

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Language:

English

Identification

Type de fibres	Leaf
Average fibre lenght	2 - 6mm
Average fibre width	24µm (16-32µm)
Fibre ends	Tapering pointed, rounded.
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases	Very faint and very fine.
Associated cells	Rectangular epidermal cells, typical stomata. Parenchyma, silica cells, and short, pitted vessel elements.
Special features	Smooth, lustrous fibers with irregular width. Transversal cut: polygonal oval shape, thin walls.
Herzberg staining	Blue/Gray
Graff 'C' staining	Blue/Gray

Botanical classification

Musa textilis Née

Order:

Zingiberales

Family:

Musaceae

Plant growing area

Native to Philippines and Indonesia (Borneo and Sumatra). Cultivated in Latin America.

China (Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan). Thailand.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Korea, Japan, Thailand.

Thailand:

North of Thailand

Plant cultivation and use

China:

Musa textilis may have been used in southern China to make clothes.

Japan:

It is a modern paper fiber in Japan. Abaca is used in the manufacture of kairyo hanshi or improved hanshi papers, after World War II.

In Okinawa Prefecture fibers of a local banana (musa paradisiach) are used to make paper.

Korea:

It is a modern paper fiber in Korea.

Thailand:

This is essentially a modern fiber used to make fancy paper and handicrafts. It is also used to make writing or printing papers.

Preparation process for making paper

Harvesting takes place every 3-8 months. The plant should grow 18 to 25 months before harvesting.

Collecting the fibers is performed in three stages: steaming that allows the separation of primary and secondary sheath of the leaf, stripping to get the fibres and drying in the sun.

Paper names

Japan:

Suffixes kami, gami, shi = paper.

In Japan kozo papers are the most numerous.

Used part of the plant:

Leaf

Stem

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Language:

Japanese

Local scripture:

マニラアサ

マニラあさ

Identification

Type de fibres	Leaf
Average fibre lenght	2 - 6mm
Average fibre width	24µm (16-32µm)
Fibre ends	Tapering pointed, rounded.
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases	Very faint and very fine.
Associated cells	Rectangular epidermal cells, typical stomata. Parenchyma, silica cells, and short, pitted vessel elements.
Special features	Smooth, lustrous fibers with irregular width. Transversal cut: polygonal oval shape, thin walls.
Herzberg staining	Blue/Gray
Graff 'C' staining	Blue/Gray

Botanical classification

Musa textilis Née

Order:

Zingiberales

Family:

Musaceae

Plant growing area

Native to Philippines and Indonesia (Borneo and Sumatra). Cultivated in Latin America.

China (Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan). Thailand.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Korea, Japan, Thailand.

Thailand:

North of Thailand

Plant cultivation and use

China:

Musa textilis may have been used in southern China to make clothes.

Japan:

It is a modern paper fiber in Japan. Abaca is used in the manufacture of kairyo hanshi or improved hanshi papers, after World War II.

In Okinawa Prefecture fibers of a local banana (musa paradisiach) are used to make paper.

Korea:

It is a modern paper fiber in Korea.

Thailand:

This is essentially a modern fiber used to make fancy paper and handicrafts. It is also used to make writing or printing papers.

Preparation process for making paper

Harvesting takes place every 3-8 months. The plant should grow 18 to 25 months before harvesting.

Collecting the fibers is performed in three stages: steaming that allows the separation of primary and secondary sheath of the leaf, stripping to get the fibres and drying in the sun.

Paper names

Japan:

Suffixes kami, gami, shi = paper.

In Japan kozo papers are the most numerous.

Used part of the plant:

Leaf

Stem

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Language:

French

Identification

Type de fibres	Leaf
Average fibre lenght	2 - 6mm
Average fibre width	24µm (16-32µm)
Fibre ends	Tapering pointed, rounded.
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases	Very faint and very fine.
Associated cells	Rectangular epidermal cells, typical stomata. Parenchyma, silica cells, and short, pitted vessel elements.
Special features	Smooth, lustrous fibers with irregular width. Transversal cut: polygonal oval shape, thin walls.
Herzberg staining	Blue/Gray
Graff 'C' staining	Blue/Gray

Botanical classification

Musa textilis Née

Order:

Zingiberales

Family:

Musaceae

Plant growing area

Native to Philippines and Indonesia (Borneo and Sumatra). Cultivated in Latin America.

China (Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan). Thailand.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Korea, Japan, Thailand.

Thailand:

North of Thailand

Plant cultivation and use

China:

Musa textilis may have been used in southern China to make clothes.

Japan:

It is a modern paper fiber in Japan. Abaca is used in the manufacture of kairyo hanshi or improved hanshi papers, after World War II.

In Okinawa Prefecture fibers of a local banana (musa paradisiach) are used to make paper.

Korea:

It is a modern paper fiber in Korea.

Thailand:

This is essentially a modern fiber used to make fancy paper and handicrafts. It is also used to make writing or printing papers.

Preparation process for making paper

Harvesting takes place every 3-8 months. The plant should grow 18 to 25 months before harvesting.

Collecting the fibers is performed in three stages: steaming that allows the separation of primary and secondary sheath of the leaf, stripping to get the fibres and drying in the sun.

Paper names

Japan:

Suffixes kami, gami, shi = paper.

In Japan kozo papers are the most numerous.

Used part of the plant:

Leaf

Stem

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Language:

Korean

Local scripture:

마닐라 삼

Identification

Type de fibres	Leaf
Average fibre lenght	2 - 6mm
Average fibre width	24µm (16-32µm)
Fibre ends	Tapering pointed, rounded.
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases	Very faint and very fine.
Associated cells	Rectangular epidermal cells, typical stomata. Parenchyma, silica cells, and short, pitted vessel elements.
Special features	Smooth, lustrous fibers with irregular width. Transversal cut: polygonal oval shape, thin walls.
Herzberg staining	Blue/Gray
Graff 'C' staining	Blue/Gray

Botanical classification

Musa textilis Née

Order:

Zingiberales

Family:

Musaceae

Plant growing area

Native to Philippines and Indonesia (Borneo and Sumatra). Cultivated in Latin America.

China (Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan). Thailand.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Korea, Japan, Thailand.

Thailand:

North of Thailand

Plant cultivation and use

China:

Musa textilis may have been used in southern China to make clothes.

Japan:

It is a modern paper fiber in Japan. Abaca is used in the manufacture of kairyo hanshi or improved hanshi papers, after World War II.

In Okinawa Prefecture fibers of a local banana (musa paradisiach) are used to make paper.

Korea:

It is a modern paper fiber in Korea.

Thailand:

This is essentially a modern fiber used to make fancy paper and handicrafts. It is also used to make writing or printing papers.

Preparation process for making paper

Harvesting takes place every 3-8 months. The plant should grow 18 to 25 months before harvesting.

Collecting the fibers is performed in three stages: steaming that allows the separation of primary and secondary sheath of the leaf, stripping to get the fibres and drying in the sun.

Paper names

Japan:

Suffixes kami, gami, shi = paper.

In Japan kozo papers are the most numerous.

Used part of the plant:

Leaf

Stem

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Sophora japonica L. © Plantillustrations

Botanical classification

Sophora japonica L.

Order:

Fabales

Family:

Fabaceae

Synonyms:

Anagyris chinensis Spreng.

Macrotropis foetida DC.

Ormosia esquirolii H. Lév.

Pongamia chinensis DC.

Robinia mitis Lour.

Sophora angustifoliola Q. Q. Liu & H. Y. Ye

Sophora japonica f. columnaris Schwer.

Sophora japonica f. hybrida Carrière

Sophora japonica f. oligophylla Franch.

Sophora japonica f. pendula Loudon

Sophora japonica var. praecox Schwer.

Sophora japonica var. pubescens (Tausch) Bosse

Sophora japonica f. variegata Nichols

Sophora japonica var. vestita Rehder

Sophora japonica var. violacea Carrière

Sophora mairei H. Lév.

Sophora pubescens Tausch

Sophora sinensis Forrest

Sophora vaniotii H. Lév.

Styphnolobium japonicum (L.) Schott

Plant growing area

Native to Far Eastern Asia. Introduced or cultivated elsewhere. Cultivated throughout China.

China, Japan, Korea.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Japan, Korea.

Plant cultivation and use

Sophora japonica is a tree with twisted branches up to 15 to 20m in height. Flowers butterfly shaped have a creamy-white or pale pink color and form fragrant clusters. Flowering occurs in July-August. They produce honey. The fruits are pods containing black seeds. Flowering appears only in trees of more than twenty years old.

It is hardy and can withstand low temperatures in sheltered position. However it thrives best in a mild climate in a sunny exposure. It likes light, drained and slightly calcareous soils.
The tree gets its name because it is traditionally planted near pagodas in Asia. Its use is primarily ornamental, in gardens or as bonsai. It is also used as a timber.

Sophora japonica belongs to the fundamental fifty plants of Chinese medicine. The buds are used in Chinese pharmacopoeia as antihemorrhagic. Flowers were also employed in the manufacture of cosmetics.

The buds of the flower contain a dye, the rutin which is a flavonol. It is used for dyeing textiles and paper.

China:

The use of Sophora japonica in China as yellow dye is very old; textiles dyed with Sophora japonica were unearthed from archaeological excavations dating from the 12th century BC.

The use of the plant is mentioned many times in the literature over the centuries.

Its cultivation is described in the "Qimin Yaoshu" or "Main techniques for the welfare of the people", text on agriculture in ten volumes by Jia Sixie from the mid-6th century.

Its use is also mentioned in the "Bencao shiyi" which is a supplement to "Materia Medica" by Chen Cangqi dating to the 8th century.

The color is commonly used for dyeing and for painting at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It is mentioned as a dye for paper in the "Zunsheng bajian" or "Eight orders to follow the meaning of life" by Gao Lian dating to 1591. These colored papers were used to imitate gold instead of metal leaves. These false ingots were used as substitutes for gold during family ceremonies dedicated to the ancestors or during family holidays or funerals.

The preparation of the dye is described in the "Tiangong kaiwu" or "Creations of nature and work of man", encyclopedia written by Song Yingxing dating back to 1634 or 1637.

In fabrics dyeing, color is used as a base to make green in combination with Isatis tinctoria.

Japan:

In the past Japanese used its wood mainly to make roof structure.

In Japan the color is used in textile dyeing and also in print making. This dye was imported from China. The extract of the flower buds, called Kaibei is pale yellow and becomes bright yellow when mixed with sodium ash.

Preparation process for making paper

China:

Song Yingxing describes the preparation in the "Tiangong kaiwu" or "Creations of nature and work of man", an encyclopedia (dating to1634 or 1637) that bamboo mats are placed under the trees to collect the buds as they are harvested. They are harvested before they open that is to say in June. They are then boiled and pressed in the form of cakes for trade. They are sold in this form. The blooming flowers are harvested too, though they contain only 20% of dye. They are sprinkled with lime and then dried in the sun to keep them.

Japan:

Dyeing of paper is performed in two ways: pulp dyeing (sukizome) or sheet dyeing (hitashizome by dipping or hikizome by brushing).

To dye paper by soaking, the sheets are plucked one by one between two wooden sticks by the small side. This will keep the sheet flat during soaking.

Korea:

The buds are harvested before they hatch. They are allowed to swell for one day before preparing the dyeing bath in three infusions. For a very good quality dyeing, only the first infusion is used. Dyeing fabrics may be performed in direct contact in the bath.

The papers are dyed in three ways: dyeing of the pulp (Seonyeombeop), dyeing of the sheet by dipping, brushing and spraying (Huyeombeop ), combination of the both methods (Honyeombeop). Then the paper can be hammered.

Paper names

Korea:

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

Used part of the plant:

Flower

Use for paper making:

Dye

Language:

English

Indigofera tinctoria L. © Flora of China

Botanical classification

Indigofera tinctoria L.

Order:

Fabales

Family:

Fabaceae

Synonyms:

Anila tinctoria (L.) Kuntze

Anila tinctoria var. normalis Kuntze

Indigofera indica Lam.

Indigofera sumatrana Gaertn.

Plant growing area

Indigofera tinctoria was formerly cultivated throughout the tropics for Indigo. Burma, China (cultivated in South West Anhui, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Yunnan), Egypt, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan (Punjab, Sind), Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam.

When spontaneous, it grows along rivers and roads up to 800m altitude throughout tropical Asia.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Korea, Japan.

Plant cultivation and use

Shrublets with a single stem up to 60 to 1.50m. Biennial plant, but that provides three crops a year because it grows quickly. It can acclimate to all warm countries. The plant requires soil rich enough, a humid climate or a good irrigation. Flowering occurs from May to August, when the leaves turn to a purplish hue due to the high content of indican.

The plant was introduced to Europe in ancient times from India.

Indigo plants represent about one thousand species in the world. There are several kinds of Indigofera that provide the blue color, the main ones are: coerula, arrecta, suffruticosa and tinctoria. Indigofera tinctoria is widely used worldwide as a source of the indigo dye.

The color is extracted from the leaves of the plant containing the dye, indican. This one is decomposed by enzymatic hydrolysis to sugar and indoxyline; by air oxidation, two molecules of indoxyline give a molecule of indigotin. The content of the initiator (indican) is variable depending on the species and the age of the plant.

Blues are used as basis for greens and purples.

China:

The use of indigo plants in China dates back to the early Han (208 BC-25 AD JV) as a dye and as a medicine. The demand for indigo increases under the Ming (1368-1644) due to the development of cultivation and weaving of cotton. It was used mainly in north China.

Li Shizen in « Bencao gangmu » or « Materia Medica Compendium », published in 1590, presents various kinds of indigo plants: Sunglan (Isatis tinctoria), Liaolan (Polygonum tinctorium), Mulan (Indigofera tinctoria).

Japan:

Plants used in Japan are indigo Indigofera tinctorium, Strobilanthes flaccidifolia, Isatis tinctoria and Polygonum tinctorium. The latter is the most frequently used in Japan.

The indigo-colored papers are used for writing religious or official texts. They can be hammered to make them stronger.

In order to obtain an intense blue, the paper is colored by soaking in the dye bath. To obtain a light blue it is possible to dye the pulp in the tank.

Blue paper are used as cover for books.

Korea:

Indigo dyers were settled in South Korea where it is easier to cultivate the plant thanks to a warmer climate.

The dye is used as base for purple and green (in combination with Gardenia jasminoides).

Preparation process for making paper

The preparation of the dye from indigo plants involves three main techniques: the direct method of dyeing, the manufacture of shells and of starch indigo. However, there are many geographic variations related mainly to locally available ingredients.

A mordant is generally not necessary but in case it is used, it is alum and cream of tartar.

China:

When the plant is mature (at flowering time) it is cut at ground level.

Plants are macerated in a tank with water. When the fermentation is completed, lime is added to precipitate indigo. The precipitate is then dried in the shade.

Japan:

The plant is cut at ground level when it is in bloom and the leaves are turning to a reddish color because indigo content is at its highest. It will bloom again three months later and it is possible to make a second and third cut.

Direct method : The plant is used immediately: the plants are fermented in a vat of hot water for bacterial activity. Lime or ashes are added to keep a fixed alkaline rate. The dyeing is done directly in the bath.

Shell method : The fresh plant is crushed, drained and shaped into balls (shells or aidama) which are dried. These shells to be used then, are crushed and fermentation is reactivated by adding warm water. It is then up to the first process.
Indigo starch method : The plants are fermented in a tank covered with a thin layer of water. Fermentation can last up to 20 hours depending on ambient temperature. The liquid is then collected and filtered. It is whipped to make him absorb oxygen and oxidized which will permit its flocculation. The precipitation is done by adding an alkali (caustic lime or ash). The deposit is washed, boiled and filtered; it is called indigo starch, the dough is then shaped into loaves.

Dyeing of papers is performed in two ways: pulp dyeing (sukizome) or sheet dyeing (hitashizome by dipping or hikizome by brushing).

To dye paper by soaking, the sheets are plucked one by one between two wooden sticks by their small side. This will keep the sheet flat during soaking.

Usually three jars of dye are prepared with decreasing concentrations. The paper is dipped in the less concentrated dye jar and oxidation occurs in the air; the paper is then soaked in the little bit more concentrated dye. After oxidation, the sheet is dipped into the third jar with the strongest concentration. The process can be repeated several times to obtain a color more or less intense. The sheet is dried by exposing the surface to air; the color changes by oxidation.

Korea:

Paper names

Japan:

Suffixes kami, gami, shi = paper.

In Japan kozo papers are the most numerous.

Korea:

Suffix ji = paper.

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

Used part of the plant:

Leaf

Use for paper making:

Dye

Language:

Japanese

Local scripture:

タイワンコマツナギ

Botanical classification

Indigofera tinctoria L.

Order:

Fabales

Family:

Fabaceae

Synonyms:

Anila tinctoria (L.) Kuntze

Anila tinctoria var. normalis Kuntze

Indigofera indica Lam.

Indigofera sumatrana Gaertn.

Plant growing area

When spontaneous, it grows along rivers and roads up to 800m altitude throughout tropical Asia.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Korea, Japan.

Plant cultivation and use

The plant was introduced to Europe in ancient times from India.

Blues are used as basis for greens and purples.

China:

Japan:

Plants used in Japan are indigo Indigofera tinctorium, Strobilanthes flaccidifolia, Isatis tinctoria and Polygonum tinctorium. The latter is the most frequently used in Japan.

The indigo-colored papers are used for writing religious or official texts. They can be hammered to make them stronger.

In order to obtain an intense blue, the paper is colored by soaking in the dye bath. To obtain a light blue it is possible to dye the pulp in the tank.

Blue paper are used as cover for books.

Korea:

Indigo dyers were settled in South Korea where it is easier to cultivate the plant thanks to a warmer climate.

The dye is used as base for purple and green (in combination with Gardenia jasminoides).

Preparation process for making paper

A mordant is generally not necessary but in case it is used, it is alum and cream of tartar.

China:

When the plant is mature (at flowering time) it is cut at ground level.

Plants are macerated in a tank with water. When the fermentation is completed, lime is added to precipitate indigo. The precipitate is then dried in the shade.

Japan:

Dyeing of papers is performed in two ways: pulp dyeing (sukizome) or sheet dyeing (hitashizome by dipping or hikizome by brushing).

To dye paper by soaking, the sheets are plucked one by one between two wooden sticks by their small side. This will keep the sheet flat during soaking.

Korea:

Paper names

Japan:

Suffixes kami, gami, shi = paper.

In Japan kozo papers are the most numerous.

Korea:

Suffix ji = paper.

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

Used part of the plant:

Leaf

Use for paper making:

Dye

Language:

Japanese

Local scripture:

カヤ

Miscanthus sinensis Anders. © Flora of China

Identification

Fibre type	Stem, straw
Average fibre lenght	2mm
Average fibre width	20µm
Fibre ends	Pointed.
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases	Strong.
Associated cells	Epidermal cells present Pitted vessel elements and parenchyma cells
Special features
Herzberg staining	Blue
Graff 'C' staining	Blue

Botanical classification

Miscanthus sinensis Anders.

Order:

Poales

Family:

Poaceae

Synonyms:

Erianthus japonicus (Trin.) P. Beauv.

Eulalia japonica Trin.

Eulalia japonica Trin. ex Steud.

Eulalia japonica var. gracillima (Hitchc.) Grier

Miscanthus japonicus (Trin.) Andersson

Miscanthus japonicus Andersson

Miscanthus condensatus Hack.

Miscanthus kanehirae Honda

Miscanthus purpurascens Andersson

Miscanthus sinensis fo. gracillimus (Hitchc.) Ohwi

Miscanthus sinensis fo. sinensis

Miscanthus sinensis fo. variegatus (Beal) Beetle

Miscanthus sinensis subsp. purpurascens (Andersson) Tzvelev

Miscanthus sinensis var. gracillimus Hitchc.

Miscanthus sinensis var. purpurascens (Andersson) Matsum.

Miscanthus sinensis var. condensatus (Hack.) Makino

Miscanthus transmorrisonensis Hayata

Miscanthus sinensis var. variegatus Beal

Miscanthus sinensis var. zebrinus Beal

Ripidium japonicum (Trin.) Trin.

Saccharum japonicum Thunb.

Saccharum japonicum Houtt.

Xiphagrostis japonicus (Trin.) Coville

Plant growing area

There are 14 species of Miscanthus, mostly located in South Asia and the Pacific Islands; two species are endemic to China.

China (Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Hubei, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Shaanxi, Shandong, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang), Japan, Korea, Taiwan.

Grows on mountain slopes, on the coasts, below 2000 m.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Japan, Korea.

Plant cultivation and use

Herbaceous perennial plant forming dense clumps from underground rhizomes, at height of 0,80m to 4 m. The culms are topped by feathery silver spikes. It has a rapid growth, it adapts to various types of soils and is resistant to wind and spray. Flowering occurs in late summer.

Japan:

In Japan, the plant is used as thatching for traditional Japanese farmhouses.

In papermaking, it is mainly used to make the movable screen of the paper mould. Its smooth surface leaves no mark.

It is also used as fibers mixed with gampi or other fibers to make gasenshi.

After World War II, a papermaker named Shusaku Tomi, on the Noto peninsula (Ishikawa Prefecture), tried again to make paper with these fibers.

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 wisteria, rice, oat and barley straws, bamboo, jute, cotton and hemp but also willow leaves, reeds, the bark and needles of pine.
Indeed miscanthus sinensis seems to be used as a complementary fiber source to fibers of paper mulberry from the 15th century.

However, this reed is mainly used to make the movable screen of the paper mould. Its smooth surface leaves no mark.

Paper names

Japan:

Suffixes kami, gami, shi = paper.

In Japan kozo papers are the most numerous.

Used part of the plant:

Stem

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Language:

Japanese

Local scripture:

ススキ

Identification

Fibre type	Stem, straw
Average fibre lenght	2mm
Average fibre width	20µm
Fibre ends	Pointed.
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases	Strong.
Associated cells	Epidermal cells present Pitted vessel elements and parenchyma cells
Special features
Herzberg staining	Blue
Graff 'C' staining	Blue

Botanical classification

Miscanthus sinensis Anders.

Order:

Poales

Family:

Poaceae

Synonyms:

Erianthus japonicus (Trin.) P. Beauv.

Eulalia japonica Trin.

Eulalia japonica Trin. ex Steud.

Eulalia japonica var. gracillima (Hitchc.) Grier

Miscanthus japonicus (Trin.) Andersson

Miscanthus japonicus Andersson

Miscanthus condensatus Hack.

Miscanthus kanehirae Honda

Miscanthus purpurascens Andersson

Miscanthus sinensis fo. gracillimus (Hitchc.) Ohwi

Miscanthus sinensis fo. sinensis

Miscanthus sinensis fo. variegatus (Beal) Beetle

Miscanthus sinensis subsp. purpurascens (Andersson) Tzvelev

Miscanthus sinensis var. gracillimus Hitchc.

Miscanthus sinensis var. purpurascens (Andersson) Matsum.

Miscanthus sinensis var. condensatus (Hack.) Makino

Miscanthus transmorrisonensis Hayata

Miscanthus sinensis var. variegatus Beal

Miscanthus sinensis var. zebrinus Beal

Ripidium japonicum (Trin.) Trin.

Saccharum japonicum Thunb.

Saccharum japonicum Houtt.

Xiphagrostis japonicus (Trin.) Coville

Plant growing area

There are 14 species of Miscanthus, mostly located in South Asia and the Pacific Islands; two species are endemic to China.

China (Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Hubei, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Shaanxi, Shandong, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang), Japan, Korea, Taiwan.

Grows on mountain slopes, on the coasts, below 2000 m.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Japan, Korea.

Plant cultivation and use

Japan:

In Japan, the plant is used as thatching for traditional Japanese farmhouses.

In papermaking, it is mainly used to make the movable screen of the paper mould. Its smooth surface leaves no mark.

It is also used as fibers mixed with gampi or other fibers to make gasenshi.

After World War II, a papermaker named Shusaku Tomi, on the Noto peninsula (Ishikawa Prefecture), tried again to make paper with these fibers.

Korea:

However, this reed is mainly used to make the movable screen of the paper mould. Its smooth surface leaves no mark.

Paper names

Japan:

Suffixes kami, gami, shi = paper.

In Japan kozo papers are the most numerous.

Used part of the plant:

Stem

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Primary tabs

Musa textilis Née

Musa textilis Née

Musa textilis Née

Musa textilis Née

Musa textilis Née

Sophora japonica L.

Indigofera tinctoria L.

Indigofera tinctoria L.

Miscanthus sinensis Anders.

Miscanthus sinensis Anders.

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Primary tabs

Musa textilis Née

Musa textilis Née

Musa textilis Née

Musa textilis Née

Musa textilis Née

Sophora japonica L.

Indigofera tinctoria L.

Indigofera tinctoria L.

Miscanthus sinensis Anders.

Miscanthus sinensis Anders.

Pages