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Language:

English

Botanical classification

Curcuma longa L.

Order:

Zingiberales

Family:

Zingiberaceae

Synonyms:

Amomum curcuma Jacq.

Curcuma domestica Valeton

Stissera curcuma Raeusch.

Kua domestica (L.) Medik.

Plant growing area

Native origin unknown but probably from India. Cultivated throughout tropical Asia (South-East Asia).

Afghanistan (Hazarajat), China (Cultivated in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xizang/Tibet, Yunnan), India (Punjab), Pakistan.

Plant of forest edges.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Japan, Korea.

Plant cultivation and use

Curcuma longa is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant and can reach a height of about 1m tall. It requests a hot and humid tropical climate, rich and well drained soils.

It is used as a spice, cosmetic and dye and also as tonic and diuretic.

The yellow dye contained in the roots is a mixture of curcuminoids, demethoxycurcumin and bis-demethoxycurcumin. The dye content is variable depending on the season and the cultivar.

It assumes protective properties throughout Asia. It has always had a symbolic place in the ceremonies and religious uses in India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pacific islands (marriage, birth, initiation, death ...). In particular, it is used for dyeing the dress of the Buddhist monks. It makes a poor fabric dye, as it fades with exposure to sunlight; however, it is commonly used in Indian clothing.

China:

Its use is mentioned in the "Jiangxi sheng dashi" or "Main annals of Jiangxi province" by Wang Zongmu (1523-1591) and Lu Wangmai (1515-1600).

Japan:

The first uses date back to the Heian period (794-1185). The dye was used to dye cotton canvas bags in which were stored the screens because it contains an insecticide. The color is pale yellow. It is used in printing ukiyo-e.

Korea:

It is mainly used in dyeing fabrics.

Preparation process for making paper

When harvesting the lateral rhizomes are taken to be cut into pieces and serve for replanting. The harvest takes place at the end of the first year when the leaves are withered.

The plants are gathered annually. They can be used fresh or prepared as a powder. In that instance, they must be boiled for several hours, then peeled from their skin and dried in the sun or in an oven. After complete drying they will be ground into powder. Fresh, they are crushed into a paste for immediate use.

Mordants used are aluminum (orange-yellow), iron (brown-black).

China:

Harvesting takes place when the leaves wilt, when the plant is about 1 year old.

The rhizomes are boiled and then dried in the sun.

They are ground into powder when they are dry or in paste when they are fresh for immediate use.

Japan:

To extract the dye, the plant is immerged in alcohol.

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 the pulp is dyed in the vat before making the sheet.

Korea:

Harvesting takes places in autumn. The roots are cut into small pieces and left to swell in water; then they are crushed. Le dye bath is prepared in three infusions of 10 to 20 minutes. After filtering the three infusions are mixed.

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

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:

Root

Use for paper making:

Dye

Language:

Japanese

Local scripture:

姜黄

Botanical classification

Curcuma longa L.

Order:

Zingiberales

Family:

Zingiberaceae

Synonyms:

Amomum curcuma Jacq.

Curcuma domestica Valeton

Stissera curcuma Raeusch.

Kua domestica (L.) Medik.

Plant growing area

Native origin unknown but probably from India. Cultivated throughout tropical Asia (South-East Asia).

Afghanistan (Hazarajat), China (Cultivated in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xizang/Tibet, Yunnan), India (Punjab), Pakistan.

Plant of forest edges.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Japan, Korea.

Plant cultivation and use

Curcuma longa is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant and can reach a height of about 1m tall. It requests a hot and humid tropical climate, rich and well drained soils.

It is used as a spice, cosmetic and dye and also as tonic and diuretic.

The yellow dye contained in the roots is a mixture of curcuminoids, demethoxycurcumin and bis-demethoxycurcumin. The dye content is variable depending on the season and the cultivar.

China:

Its use is mentioned in the "Jiangxi sheng dashi" or "Main annals of Jiangxi province" by Wang Zongmu (1523-1591) and Lu Wangmai (1515-1600).

Japan:

Korea:

It is mainly used in dyeing fabrics.

Preparation process for making paper

When harvesting the lateral rhizomes are taken to be cut into pieces and serve for replanting. The harvest takes place at the end of the first year when the leaves are withered.

Mordants used are aluminum (orange-yellow), iron (brown-black).

China:

Harvesting takes place when the leaves wilt, when the plant is about 1 year old.

The rhizomes are boiled and then dried in the sun.

They are ground into powder when they are dry or in paste when they are fresh for immediate use.

Japan:

To extract the dye, the plant is immerged in alcohol.

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 the pulp is dyed in the vat before making the sheet.

Korea:

Paper names

Korea:

Suffix ji = paper.

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

Used part of the plant:

Root

Use for paper making:

Dye

Language:

English

Botanical classification

Curcuma longa L.

Order:

Zingiberales

Family:

Zingiberaceae

Synonyms:

Amomum curcuma Jacq.

Curcuma domestica Valeton

Stissera curcuma Raeusch.

Kua domestica (L.) Medik.

Plant growing area

Native origin unknown but probably from India. Cultivated throughout tropical Asia (South-East Asia).

Afghanistan (Hazarajat), China (Cultivated in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xizang/Tibet, Yunnan), India (Punjab), Pakistan.

Plant of forest edges.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Japan, Korea.

Plant cultivation and use

Curcuma longa is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant and can reach a height of about 1m tall. It requests a hot and humid tropical climate, rich and well drained soils.

It is used as a spice, cosmetic and dye and also as tonic and diuretic.

The yellow dye contained in the roots is a mixture of curcuminoids, demethoxycurcumin and bis-demethoxycurcumin. The dye content is variable depending on the season and the cultivar.

China:

Its use is mentioned in the "Jiangxi sheng dashi" or "Main annals of Jiangxi province" by Wang Zongmu (1523-1591) and Lu Wangmai (1515-1600).

Japan:

Korea:

It is mainly used in dyeing fabrics.

Preparation process for making paper

When harvesting the lateral rhizomes are taken to be cut into pieces and serve for replanting. The harvest takes place at the end of the first year when the leaves are withered.

Mordants used are aluminum (orange-yellow), iron (brown-black).

China:

Harvesting takes place when the leaves wilt, when the plant is about 1 year old.

The rhizomes are boiled and then dried in the sun.

They are ground into powder when they are dry or in paste when they are fresh for immediate use.

Japan:

To extract the dye, the plant is immerged in alcohol.

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 the pulp is dyed in the vat before making the sheet.

Korea:

Paper names

Korea:

Suffix ji = paper.

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

Used part of the plant:

Root

Use for paper making:

Dye

Language:

Japanese

Local scripture:

ウコン

うこん

Botanical classification

Curcuma longa L.

Order:

Zingiberales

Family:

Zingiberaceae

Synonyms:

Amomum curcuma Jacq.

Curcuma domestica Valeton

Stissera curcuma Raeusch.

Kua domestica (L.) Medik.

Plant growing area

Native origin unknown but probably from India. Cultivated throughout tropical Asia (South-East Asia).

Afghanistan (Hazarajat), China (Cultivated in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xizang/Tibet, Yunnan), India (Punjab), Pakistan.

Plant of forest edges.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Japan, Korea.

Plant cultivation and use

Curcuma longa is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant and can reach a height of about 1m tall. It requests a hot and humid tropical climate, rich and well drained soils.

It is used as a spice, cosmetic and dye and also as tonic and diuretic.

The yellow dye contained in the roots is a mixture of curcuminoids, demethoxycurcumin and bis-demethoxycurcumin. The dye content is variable depending on the season and the cultivar.

China:

Its use is mentioned in the "Jiangxi sheng dashi" or "Main annals of Jiangxi province" by Wang Zongmu (1523-1591) and Lu Wangmai (1515-1600).

Japan:

Korea:

It is mainly used in dyeing fabrics.

Preparation process for making paper

When harvesting the lateral rhizomes are taken to be cut into pieces and serve for replanting. The harvest takes place at the end of the first year when the leaves are withered.

Mordants used are aluminum (orange-yellow), iron (brown-black).

China:

Harvesting takes place when the leaves wilt, when the plant is about 1 year old.

The rhizomes are boiled and then dried in the sun.

They are ground into powder when they are dry or in paste when they are fresh for immediate use.

Japan:

To extract the dye, the plant is immerged in alcohol.

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 the pulp is dyed in the vat before making the sheet.

Korea:

Paper names

Korea:

Suffix ji = paper.

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

Used part of the plant:

Root

Use for paper making:

Dye

Language:

French

Botanical classification

Curcuma longa L.

Order:

Zingiberales

Family:

Zingiberaceae

Synonyms:

Amomum curcuma Jacq.

Curcuma domestica Valeton

Stissera curcuma Raeusch.

Kua domestica (L.) Medik.

Plant growing area

Native origin unknown but probably from India. Cultivated throughout tropical Asia (South-East Asia).

Afghanistan (Hazarajat), China (Cultivated in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xizang/Tibet, Yunnan), India (Punjab), Pakistan.

Plant of forest edges.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Japan, Korea.

Plant cultivation and use

Curcuma longa is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant and can reach a height of about 1m tall. It requests a hot and humid tropical climate, rich and well drained soils.

It is used as a spice, cosmetic and dye and also as tonic and diuretic.

The yellow dye contained in the roots is a mixture of curcuminoids, demethoxycurcumin and bis-demethoxycurcumin. The dye content is variable depending on the season and the cultivar.

China:

Its use is mentioned in the "Jiangxi sheng dashi" or "Main annals of Jiangxi province" by Wang Zongmu (1523-1591) and Lu Wangmai (1515-1600).

Japan:

Korea:

It is mainly used in dyeing fabrics.

Preparation process for making paper

When harvesting the lateral rhizomes are taken to be cut into pieces and serve for replanting. The harvest takes place at the end of the first year when the leaves are withered.

Mordants used are aluminum (orange-yellow), iron (brown-black).

China:

Harvesting takes place when the leaves wilt, when the plant is about 1 year old.

The rhizomes are boiled and then dried in the sun.

They are ground into powder when they are dry or in paste when they are fresh for immediate use.

Japan:

To extract the dye, the plant is immerged in alcohol.

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 the pulp is dyed in the vat before making the sheet.

Korea:

Paper names

Korea:

Suffix ji = paper.

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

Used part of the plant:

Root

Use for paper making:

Dye

Language:

Korean

Local scripture:

울금

Botanical classification

Curcuma longa L.

Order:

Zingiberales

Family:

Zingiberaceae

Synonyms:

Amomum curcuma Jacq.

Curcuma domestica Valeton

Stissera curcuma Raeusch.

Kua domestica (L.) Medik.

Plant growing area

Native origin unknown but probably from India. Cultivated throughout tropical Asia (South-East Asia).

Afghanistan (Hazarajat), China (Cultivated in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xizang/Tibet, Yunnan), India (Punjab), Pakistan.

Plant of forest edges.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Japan, Korea.

Plant cultivation and use

Curcuma longa is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant and can reach a height of about 1m tall. It requests a hot and humid tropical climate, rich and well drained soils.

It is used as a spice, cosmetic and dye and also as tonic and diuretic.

The yellow dye contained in the roots is a mixture of curcuminoids, demethoxycurcumin and bis-demethoxycurcumin. The dye content is variable depending on the season and the cultivar.

China:

Its use is mentioned in the "Jiangxi sheng dashi" or "Main annals of Jiangxi province" by Wang Zongmu (1523-1591) and Lu Wangmai (1515-1600).

Japan:

Korea:

It is mainly used in dyeing fabrics.

Preparation process for making paper

When harvesting the lateral rhizomes are taken to be cut into pieces and serve for replanting. The harvest takes place at the end of the first year when the leaves are withered.

Mordants used are aluminum (orange-yellow), iron (brown-black).

China:

Harvesting takes place when the leaves wilt, when the plant is about 1 year old.

The rhizomes are boiled and then dried in the sun.

They are ground into powder when they are dry or in paste when they are fresh for immediate use.

Japan:

To extract the dye, the plant is immerged in alcohol.

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 the pulp is dyed in the vat before making the sheet.

Korea:

Paper names

Korea:

Suffix ji = paper.

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

Used part of the plant:

Root

Use for paper making:

Dye

Language:

Chinese

Local scripture:

姜黄

Botanical classification

Curcuma longa L.

Order:

Zingiberales

Family:

Zingiberaceae

Synonyms:

Amomum curcuma Jacq.

Curcuma domestica Valeton

Stissera curcuma Raeusch.

Kua domestica (L.) Medik.

Plant growing area

Native origin unknown but probably from India. Cultivated throughout tropical Asia (South-East Asia).

Afghanistan (Hazarajat), China (Cultivated in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xizang/Tibet, Yunnan), India (Punjab), Pakistan.

Plant of forest edges.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Japan, Korea.

Plant cultivation and use

Curcuma longa is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant and can reach a height of about 1m tall. It requests a hot and humid tropical climate, rich and well drained soils.

It is used as a spice, cosmetic and dye and also as tonic and diuretic.

The yellow dye contained in the roots is a mixture of curcuminoids, demethoxycurcumin and bis-demethoxycurcumin. The dye content is variable depending on the season and the cultivar.

China:

Its use is mentioned in the "Jiangxi sheng dashi" or "Main annals of Jiangxi province" by Wang Zongmu (1523-1591) and Lu Wangmai (1515-1600).

Japan:

Korea:

It is mainly used in dyeing fabrics.

Preparation process for making paper

When harvesting the lateral rhizomes are taken to be cut into pieces and serve for replanting. The harvest takes place at the end of the first year when the leaves are withered.

Mordants used are aluminum (orange-yellow), iron (brown-black).

China:

Harvesting takes place when the leaves wilt, when the plant is about 1 year old.

The rhizomes are boiled and then dried in the sun.

They are ground into powder when they are dry or in paste when they are fresh for immediate use.

Japan:

To extract the dye, the plant is immerged in alcohol.

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 the pulp is dyed in the vat before making the sheet.

Korea:

Paper names

Korea:

Suffix ji = paper.

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

Used part of the plant:

Root

Use for paper making:

Dye

Language:

English

Botanical classification

Curcuma longa L.

Order:

Zingiberales

Family:

Zingiberaceae

Synonyms:

Amomum curcuma Jacq.

Curcuma domestica Valeton

Stissera curcuma Raeusch.

Kua domestica (L.) Medik.

Plant growing area

Native origin unknown but probably from India. Cultivated throughout tropical Asia (South-East Asia).

Afghanistan (Hazarajat), China (Cultivated in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xizang/Tibet, Yunnan), India (Punjab), Pakistan.

Plant of forest edges.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Japan, Korea.

Plant cultivation and use

Curcuma longa is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant and can reach a height of about 1m tall. It requests a hot and humid tropical climate, rich and well drained soils.

It is used as a spice, cosmetic and dye and also as tonic and diuretic.

The yellow dye contained in the roots is a mixture of curcuminoids, demethoxycurcumin and bis-demethoxycurcumin. The dye content is variable depending on the season and the cultivar.

China:

Its use is mentioned in the "Jiangxi sheng dashi" or "Main annals of Jiangxi province" by Wang Zongmu (1523-1591) and Lu Wangmai (1515-1600).

Japan:

Korea:

It is mainly used in dyeing fabrics.

Preparation process for making paper

When harvesting the lateral rhizomes are taken to be cut into pieces and serve for replanting. The harvest takes place at the end of the first year when the leaves are withered.

Mordants used are aluminum (orange-yellow), iron (brown-black).

China:

Harvesting takes place when the leaves wilt, when the plant is about 1 year old.

The rhizomes are boiled and then dried in the sun.

They are ground into powder when they are dry or in paste when they are fresh for immediate use.

Japan:

To extract the dye, the plant is immerged in alcohol.

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 the pulp is dyed in the vat before making the sheet.

Korea:

Paper names

Korea:

Suffix ji = paper.

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

Used part of the plant:

Root

Use for paper making:

Dye

Language:

French

Botanical classification

Curcuma longa L.

Order:

Zingiberales

Family:

Zingiberaceae

Synonyms:

Amomum curcuma Jacq.

Curcuma domestica Valeton

Stissera curcuma Raeusch.

Kua domestica (L.) Medik.

Plant growing area

Native origin unknown but probably from India. Cultivated throughout tropical Asia (South-East Asia).

Afghanistan (Hazarajat), China (Cultivated in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xizang/Tibet, Yunnan), India (Punjab), Pakistan.

Plant of forest edges.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Japan, Korea.

Plant cultivation and use

Curcuma longa is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant and can reach a height of about 1m tall. It requests a hot and humid tropical climate, rich and well drained soils.

It is used as a spice, cosmetic and dye and also as tonic and diuretic.

The yellow dye contained in the roots is a mixture of curcuminoids, demethoxycurcumin and bis-demethoxycurcumin. The dye content is variable depending on the season and the cultivar.

China:

Its use is mentioned in the "Jiangxi sheng dashi" or "Main annals of Jiangxi province" by Wang Zongmu (1523-1591) and Lu Wangmai (1515-1600).

Japan:

Korea:

It is mainly used in dyeing fabrics.

Preparation process for making paper

When harvesting the lateral rhizomes are taken to be cut into pieces and serve for replanting. The harvest takes place at the end of the first year when the leaves are withered.

Mordants used are aluminum (orange-yellow), iron (brown-black).

China:

Harvesting takes place when the leaves wilt, when the plant is about 1 year old.

The rhizomes are boiled and then dried in the sun.

They are ground into powder when they are dry or in paste when they are fresh for immediate use.

Japan:

To extract the dye, the plant is immerged in alcohol.

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 the pulp is dyed in the vat before making the sheet.

Korea:

Paper names

Korea:

Suffix ji = paper.

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

Used part of the plant:

Root

Use for paper making:

Dye

Language:

Korean

Wikstroemia retusa A. Gray © CFH Nature Museum

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

Wikstroemia retusa A. Gray

Order:

Malvales

Family:

Thymelaeaceae

Synonyms:

Daphne grayana Halda

Wikstroemia obavata Hemsl.

Plant growing area

Japan, Philippines,Taiwan.

Grows in forest thickets, deforested slopes, grasslands.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

Japan.

Plant cultivation and use

Wikstroemia canescens is a shrub of the Thymelaceae family, 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 retusa is an evergreen shrub, 1 to 3m high.

China:

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

Japan:

It has been used since the Nara period (710-793).

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 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.

Removing 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.

Paper names

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:

Bark

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Wikstroemia sikokiana Franc. & Sav. © LB Vilmont

Identification

Fibre type	Bast fiber
Average fibre lenght	3mm (2-4mm)
Average fibre width	12µm (4-20µm)
Fibre ends	Very variable.
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases	Faint surface markings. V or zigzag cross-markings under polarized light.
Associated cells	Many associated cells of various shapes (rectangular), often broken.
Special features	Quiet short fibers with broad central portions. Flater fibers than mitsumata; may be twisted.
Herzberg staining	Yellow/ Bluish Green.
Graff 'C' staining	Bright blue.

Botanical classification

Wikstroemia sikokiania Franc. & Sav.

Order:

Malvales

Family:

Thymelaeaceae

Synonyms:

Daphne sikokiana (Franch. & Sav.) Halda

Diplomorpha sikokiana (Franch. & Sav.) Nakai

Plant growing area

China, Korea, Japan.

Wikstroemia sikokiana grows in temperate climates, among the rocks on the mountain slopes between 1000 to 2800m (until 3500m), in the vicinity of sunny forest areas.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Korea, Japan.

Japan:

Chubu (Fukui, Nagano, Ishikawa, Shizuoka prefectures ), Chugoku (Shimane, Tottori, Yamaguchi prefectures), Kansai (Hyogo, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Shiga, Wakayama prefectures), Kanto (Saitama prefecture), Kyushu (Miyazaki, Saga prefecture), Okinawa, Shikoku (Ehime, Kagawa, Kochi, Tokushima prefectures).

Plant cultivation and use

Wikstroemia sikokiana is a shrub of the Thymelaceae family, 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.

Wikstroemia sikokiana is a deciduous shrub, growing slowly up to 2m. Blooming takes place between May and June. Its fruits are not edible and it has no known medicinal use.

The plant is often harvested in the wild because if it can be domesticated, it is with difficulty. It takes 5 to 7 years for the plant reaches a sufficient height (2m) to be harvested for its bark.

The sap is toxic and it is probably the reason why the paper is resistant to insects.

China:

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

Japan:

Gampi fibers would be used since the Nara period (710-794). There is evidence that the papers are highly valued at the court during the Heian period (794-1185) for writing poems, and these papers were dyed or may be decorated.

The Torinoko (cf. this name) of the former province of Echizen (Fukui Prefecture) appears in the middle ages, and it owes its name "bird’s child" because of its eggshell color and its glossy surface. It is used for calligraphy as it is a shinny paper on which ink does not bleed.

From Muromachi period (1336-1573) to Edo period (1603-1867), gampi papers are used as support for paintings because they increase sharpness of gold leaf decorations, very popular in those times.

Gampi was used in large quantities during the Meiji period (1868-1912), for the production of duplicating papers (cf.Tosa gampishi) used with the mimeograph or alcohol duplicator.
Currently, as cultivation is difficult, harvesting of shrubs growing in the wild, still exists. Fiber demand exceeds production so a part of gampi is imported from the Philippines.

One hundred kilograms of harvested gampi gives three to five kilograms of paper.

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. Removing 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.

Paper names

Japan:

Suffixes kami, gami, shi = paper.

In Japan kozo papers are the most numerous.

Used part of the plant:

Bark

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Primary tabs

Curcuma longa L.

Curcuma longa L.

Curcuma longa L.

Curcuma longa L.

Curcuma longa L.

Curcuma longa L.

Curcuma longa L.

Curcuma longa L.

Curcuma longa L.

Wikstroemia retusa A. Gray

Wikstroemia sikokiania Franc. & Sav.

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Primary tabs

Curcuma longa L.

Curcuma longa L.

Curcuma longa L.

Curcuma longa L.

Curcuma longa L.

Curcuma longa L.

Curcuma longa L.

Curcuma longa L.

Curcuma longa L.

Wikstroemia retusa A. Gray

Wikstroemia sikokiania Franc. & Sav.

Pages