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Language:

Identification

Fibre type
Average fibre lenght	12-40μm
Average fibre width
Fibre ends
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases	Fine diagonal striations.
Associated cells	Parenchymal cells of various shapes.
Special features	The fiber has a uniform thickness. The fibers are short compared to bast fibers.
Herzberg staining
Graff 'C' staining

Botanical classification

Calamus rotang L.

Order:

Arecales

Family:

Arecaceae

Synonyms:

Rotang linnaei (L.) Baill.

Rotanga calamus (L.) Crantz

Plant growing area

Native to tropical Asia (Southeast Asia) where it grows everywhere.

China (Sichuan, Zhejiang, Jiangxi).

Grows in rain forests.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China.

Plant cultivation and use

Calamus rattan is a rhizomatous, climbing palm, up to 20m high. Stipe or false trunk is long and thin, pinnate leaves are 60 to 80 cm long and are regularly arranged along the stem. The foliage is evergreen.

The white flowers are grouped in inflorescences. Fruits are rounded, and covered with reddish-brown scales; they exude a red resin called "dragon's blood" in traditional medicine, which has astringent properties. The fruits are edible. The sap of the plant is used for preparing a beverage.

Rotang palm prefers drained soils, adapts to exposure from shade to sun, but is very sensitive to low temperatures.

The stem provides rattan, flexible material widely used throughout Southeast Asia for the manufacture of furniture and basketry. The trunk fibers are also used for the manufacture of mats, ropes.

China:

Rattan has been used to make paper in several parts of China, especially in the southeast (Zhejiang, Jiangxi) for almost 1000 years. Also it has been used in Sichuan, but to a lesser extent compared to the production of Southeast.

Many Dunhuang yellow manuscripts were identified as rattan paper. Papermaking with rattan fibers starts in the 3rd century in Shanji (former Zhengxian - Zhejiang) where the rattan was planted through hundreds of miles in the mountains, along the river Shanji. This paper is called Shandeng.

This is the most popular paper during the Tang dynasty (618-907); its production is no longer confined to Shanji, but is also found in the neighboring districts of the Zhejiang and Jiangxij provinces.

Various official documents relate in the early 8th century that the paper is sent as a tribute.

The Administrative Code specifies that the white rattan paper should be used for requisition and punishment decrees, blue paper for offering messages in the Taoist temple in Daijingong, yellow paper for imperial orders.

The paper is described as smooth and durable, of various colors. It is used for calligraphy, and making books. It has also been used for making tea bags since its firm and relatively tight texture can well preserve the flavors.

Rattan running out in Shanji, operations moved from West to East Zhejiang during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). But gradually the resource is exhausted because the rattan is not cultivated. Its death is also linked to the increased use of bamboo as a raw material in the manufacture of paper, which replaces it as well as hemp. Indeed bamboo became the first paper material in the middle of the Tang dynasty.

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.

Used part of the plant:

Leaf

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Language:

English

Identification

Fibre type
Average fibre lenght	12-40μm
Average fibre width
Fibre ends
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases	Fine diagonal striations.
Associated cells	Parenchymal cells of various shapes.
Special features	The fiber has a uniform thickness. The fibers are short compared to bast fibers.
Herzberg staining
Graff 'C' staining

Botanical classification

Calamus rotang L.

Order:

Arecales

Family:

Arecaceae

Synonyms:

Rotang linnaei (L.) Baill.

Rotanga calamus (L.) Crantz

Plant growing area

Native to tropical Asia (Southeast Asia) where it grows everywhere.

China (Sichuan, Zhejiang, Jiangxi).

Grows in rain forests.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China.

Plant cultivation and use

Rotang palm prefers drained soils, adapts to exposure from shade to sun, but is very sensitive to low temperatures.

The stem provides rattan, flexible material widely used throughout Southeast Asia for the manufacture of furniture and basketry. The trunk fibers are also used for the manufacture of mats, ropes.

China:

Various official documents relate in the early 8th century that the paper is sent as a tribute.

Paper names

China:

Used part of the plant:

Leaf

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Language:

French

Identification

Fibre type
Average fibre lenght	12-40μm
Average fibre width
Fibre ends
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases	Fine diagonal striations.
Associated cells	Parenchymal cells of various shapes.
Special features	The fiber has a uniform thickness. The fibers are short compared to bast fibers.
Herzberg staining
Graff 'C' staining

Botanical classification

Calamus rotang L.

Order:

Arecales

Family:

Arecaceae

Synonyms:

Rotang linnaei (L.) Baill.

Rotanga calamus (L.) Crantz

Plant growing area

Native to tropical Asia (Southeast Asia) where it grows everywhere.

China (Sichuan, Zhejiang, Jiangxi).

Grows in rain forests.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China.

Plant cultivation and use

Rotang palm prefers drained soils, adapts to exposure from shade to sun, but is very sensitive to low temperatures.

The stem provides rattan, flexible material widely used throughout Southeast Asia for the manufacture of furniture and basketry. The trunk fibers are also used for the manufacture of mats, ropes.

China:

Various official documents relate in the early 8th century that the paper is sent as a tribute.

Paper names

China:

Used part of the plant:

Leaf

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Language:

English

Identification

Fibre type
Average fibre lenght	12-40μm
Average fibre width
Fibre ends
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases	Fine diagonal striations.
Associated cells	Parenchymal cells of various shapes.
Special features	The fiber has a uniform thickness. The fibers are short compared to bast fibers.
Herzberg staining
Graff 'C' staining

Botanical classification

Calamus rotang L.

Order:

Arecales

Family:

Arecaceae

Synonyms:

Rotang linnaei (L.) Baill.

Rotanga calamus (L.) Crantz

Plant growing area

Native to tropical Asia (Southeast Asia) where it grows everywhere.

China (Sichuan, Zhejiang, Jiangxi).

Grows in rain forests.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China.

Plant cultivation and use

Rotang palm prefers drained soils, adapts to exposure from shade to sun, but is very sensitive to low temperatures.

The stem provides rattan, flexible material widely used throughout Southeast Asia for the manufacture of furniture and basketry. The trunk fibers are also used for the manufacture of mats, ropes.

China:

Various official documents relate in the early 8th century that the paper is sent as a tribute.

Paper names

China:

Used part of the plant:

Leaf

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Language:

English

Identification

Fibre type
Average fibre lenght	12-40μm
Average fibre width
Fibre ends
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases	Fine diagonal striations.
Associated cells	Parenchymal cells of various shapes.
Special features	The fiber has a uniform thickness. The fibers are short compared to bast fibers.
Herzberg staining
Graff 'C' staining

Botanical classification

Calamus rotang L.

Order:

Arecales

Family:

Arecaceae

Synonyms:

Rotang linnaei (L.) Baill.

Rotanga calamus (L.) Crantz

Plant growing area

Native to tropical Asia (Southeast Asia) where it grows everywhere.

China (Sichuan, Zhejiang, Jiangxi).

Grows in rain forests.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China.

Plant cultivation and use

Rotang palm prefers drained soils, adapts to exposure from shade to sun, but is very sensitive to low temperatures.

The stem provides rattan, flexible material widely used throughout Southeast Asia for the manufacture of furniture and basketry. The trunk fibers are also used for the manufacture of mats, ropes.

China:

Various official documents relate in the early 8th century that the paper is sent as a tribute.

Paper names

China:

Used part of the plant:

Leaf

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Language:

Chinese

Local scripture:

省藤

Identification

Fibre type
Average fibre lenght	12-40μm
Average fibre width
Fibre ends
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases	Fine diagonal striations.
Associated cells	Parenchymal cells of various shapes.
Special features	The fiber has a uniform thickness. The fibers are short compared to bast fibers.
Herzberg staining
Graff 'C' staining

Botanical classification

Calamus rotang L.

Order:

Arecales

Family:

Arecaceae

Synonyms:

Rotang linnaei (L.) Baill.

Rotanga calamus (L.) Crantz

Plant growing area

Native to tropical Asia (Southeast Asia) where it grows everywhere.

China (Sichuan, Zhejiang, Jiangxi).

Grows in rain forests.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China.

Plant cultivation and use

Rotang palm prefers drained soils, adapts to exposure from shade to sun, but is very sensitive to low temperatures.

The stem provides rattan, flexible material widely used throughout Southeast Asia for the manufacture of furniture and basketry. The trunk fibers are also used for the manufacture of mats, ropes.

China:

Various official documents relate in the early 8th century that the paper is sent as a tribute.

Paper names

China:

Used part of the plant:

Leaf

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Language:

French

Identification

Fibre type
Average fibre lenght	12-40μm
Average fibre width
Fibre ends
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases	Fine diagonal striations.
Associated cells	Parenchymal cells of various shapes.
Special features	The fiber has a uniform thickness. The fibers are short compared to bast fibers.
Herzberg staining
Graff 'C' staining

Botanical classification

Calamus rotang L.

Order:

Arecales

Family:

Arecaceae

Synonyms:

Rotang linnaei (L.) Baill.

Rotanga calamus (L.) Crantz

Plant growing area

Native to tropical Asia (Southeast Asia) where it grows everywhere.

China (Sichuan, Zhejiang, Jiangxi).

Grows in rain forests.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China.

Plant cultivation and use

Rotang palm prefers drained soils, adapts to exposure from shade to sun, but is very sensitive to low temperatures.

The stem provides rattan, flexible material widely used throughout Southeast Asia for the manufacture of furniture and basketry. The trunk fibers are also used for the manufacture of mats, ropes.

China:

Various official documents relate in the early 8th century that the paper is sent as a tribute.

Paper names

China:

Used part of the plant:

Leaf

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Language:

Chinese

Local scripture:

羅旦藤

Identification

Fibre type
Average fibre lenght	12-40μm
Average fibre width
Fibre ends
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases	Fine diagonal striations.
Associated cells	Parenchymal cells of various shapes.
Special features	The fiber has a uniform thickness. The fibers are short compared to bast fibers.
Herzberg staining
Graff 'C' staining

Botanical classification

Calamus rotang L.

Order:

Arecales

Family:

Arecaceae

Synonyms:

Rotang linnaei (L.) Baill.

Rotanga calamus (L.) Crantz

Plant growing area

Native to tropical Asia (Southeast Asia) where it grows everywhere.

China (Sichuan, Zhejiang, Jiangxi).

Grows in rain forests.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China.

Plant cultivation and use

Rotang palm prefers drained soils, adapts to exposure from shade to sun, but is very sensitive to low temperatures.

The stem provides rattan, flexible material widely used throughout Southeast Asia for the manufacture of furniture and basketry. The trunk fibers are also used for the manufacture of mats, ropes.

China:

Various official documents relate in the early 8th century that the paper is sent as a tribute.

Paper names

China:

Used part of the plant:

Leaf

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Language:

French

Edgeworthia chrysantha Lindl. © C. Laroque

Edgeworthia chrysantha Lindl. © L.B. Vilmont

Identification

Fibre type	Bast fiber
Average fibre lenght	3,5mm (1,5-5)
Average fibre width	19µm (7-30µm)
Fibre ends	Ends of various shapes: blunt, round, in forked shape.
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases	Faint, Cross-markings.
Associated cells	Many parenchyma cells of various shapes, colored in blue forms. Contain a mucilage.
Special features	Rather short Fibers blades with pale marks on the surface with large central areas. Crystals in the parenchyma that does not exist in the gampi.
Herzberg staining	Yellow/bluish green.
Graff 'C' staining	Bright olive.

Botanical classification

Edgeworthia chrysantha Lindl.

Order:

Malvales

Family:

Thymelaeaceae

Synonyms:

Edgeworthia papyrifera Siebold & Zucc.

Edgeworthia tomentosa (Thunb) Nakai

Magnolia tomentosa Thunb.

Plant growing area

China (Wild or cultivated. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Henan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Yunnan, Zhejiang), Korea (Wild or cultivated), Japan (Cultivated and naturalized), Georgia.

Wild in forests, shrubby slopes but also cultivated.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Korea, Japan.

Japan:

Chubu (Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Shizuoka, Yamanashi Prefectures), Chugoku (Okayama,Shimane,Tottori Prefectures), Kanto (Saitama), Shikoku (Ehime, Kochi, Tokushima Prefectures), Kyushu (Miyazaki, Saga Prefectures), Okinawa.

Korea:

Jeolla (south), Gyeongsang (south).

Plant cultivation and use

The Edgeworthia’s are shrubs of the Thymelaeaceae family, which includes nearly 500 species distributed in 44 genera. The Thymelaeaceae are base plants for paper making at the foot of the Himalayas. The plants are valued for the large amount of hemicelluloses contained in the bark. They are also much used in Chinese medicine.

There is a great confusion between different Daphnes and Edgeworthias; shrubs are very similar morphologically and names are assigned interchangeably. However the bark of the Edgeworthia is whiter and softer than that of Daphne.

Edgeworthia chrysantha is a deciduous shrub, growing slowly up to a height of 1,5m. Flowers are yellow or red and flowering occurs in March to April.

It grows wild in forests on the shrubby slopes but it can also be cultivated on the hillsides interspersed with cedars and cypresses. Its growth is faster in warmer and humid climates. It blooms from February to April. After 8 to 12 years, shrubs are no longer able to provide enough good quality bark for paper.

Its fruits are not edible. Its roots are used medicinally to treat eye diseases. The bark contains an insect repellent.

The stems which are very flexible can be tied or used as strings.

Japan:

The term mitsumata means triple (mitsu) branch (mata) and refers to the shape of the shrub.
Mitsumata fiber papers are much more expensive than kozo (cf. this term) papers because cultivation of the shrubs is more difficult. However, it is easier than the cultivation of gampi (cf. this term).
Generally, growing, harvesting and preparation of bark are carried out by farmers who supply raw bark, ready for cooking, to papermakers.

Mitsumata papers have different uses but they are especially popular for calligraphy and printing as they allow fine strokes.

The mitsumata fibers replace those of hemp during the Edo period (1603-1867), but their use had started from the Momoyama period (1573-1615).

Cultivation of mitsumata, as well as kozo, is encouraged at the beginning of the Edo period in the prefecture of Fukui.

The production of paper with mitsumata fibers begin with the papers called shuzenjigami after the name of the locality or Suruga hanshi after the name of the former province, in the prefectures of Shizuoka and Yamanashi. These papers are a mixture of gampi and mitsumata fibers but these terms also refer to paper made with gampi or kozo.

From the Meiji period (1868-1912), Shizuoka is also a production center of mitsumata paper for the manufacture of banknotes.

The valley of the Saji (Tottori prefecture) has become a major producing region of mitsumata and mitsumata papers during the Meiji period.

Currently, annual production is about 360 tons. The main producing prefectures of bark are those of Ehime, Kochi, Tokushima in Shikoku region, Okayama, Shimane in the Chugoku region.
One hundred kilograms of harvested mitsumata gives three to five kilos of paper.

Korea:

The term Samji daknamu, means three branches and refers to the shape of the shrub.

There are no specific reference to the beginning of its use as paper fibers or its cultuvation. It grows wild on the southern coasts of Korea.

Samjidak papers were mainly used for printing books and sutras.

Preparation process for making paper

Japan:

Harvesting takes place every three years in early winter when the leaves have fallen.
The branches are steamed for easy peeling. They are then dried before being stored. At this stage the bark is called "black bark" or "kurokawa".

The barks are soaked and then scraped with a knife; at this point the bark is called "bark unbleached" or "jikegawa". It is left to soak in water for several days to bleach. Bleaching is done in the sun but recently chlorine is used. The bark is called "white bark" or "Shirokawa".

Cooking is done at the jikegawa stage. It lasts around 2-3 hours. The alkaline solution is an ashes lye or lime or caustic soda. After cooking the barks are placed in running water for several days to remove residues of cooking. It also helps to complete the bleaching.

Beating is performed by hands or in a small size Japanese hollander called naginata. Specks removal is done by hand.

Sheet forming is done by nagashizuki method: in the nagashizuki method the sheet is made by superimposing layers of fibers successively until the desired thickness.

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

Language:

Japanese

Local scripture:

みつまた

ミツマタ

Identification

Fibre type	Bast fiber
Average fibre lenght	3,5mm (1,5-5)
Average fibre width	19µm (7-30µm)
Fibre ends	Ends of various shapes: blunt, round, in forked shape.
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases	Faint, Cross-markings.
Associated cells	Many parenchyma cells of various shapes, colored in blue forms. Contain a mucilage.
Special features	Rather short Fibers blades with pale marks on the surface with large central areas. Crystals in the parenchyma that does not exist in the gampi.
Herzberg staining	Yellow/bluish green.
Graff 'C' staining	Bright olive.

Botanical classification

Edgeworthia chrysantha Lindl.

Order:

Malvales

Family:

Thymelaeaceae

Synonyms:

Edgeworthia papyrifera Siebold & Zucc.

Edgeworthia tomentosa (Thunb) Nakai

Magnolia tomentosa Thunb.

Plant growing area

China (Wild or cultivated. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Henan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Yunnan, Zhejiang), Korea (Wild or cultivated), Japan (Cultivated and naturalized), Georgia.

Wild in forests, shrubby slopes but also cultivated.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Korea, Japan.

Japan:

Korea:

Jeolla (south), Gyeongsang (south).

Plant cultivation and use

Edgeworthia chrysantha is a deciduous shrub, growing slowly up to a height of 1,5m. Flowers are yellow or red and flowering occurs in March to April.

Its fruits are not edible. Its roots are used medicinally to treat eye diseases. The bark contains an insect repellent.

The stems which are very flexible can be tied or used as strings.

Japan:

Mitsumata papers have different uses but they are especially popular for calligraphy and printing as they allow fine strokes.

The mitsumata fibers replace those of hemp during the Edo period (1603-1867), but their use had started from the Momoyama period (1573-1615).

Cultivation of mitsumata, as well as kozo, is encouraged at the beginning of the Edo period in the prefecture of Fukui.

From the Meiji period (1868-1912), Shizuoka is also a production center of mitsumata paper for the manufacture of banknotes.

The valley of the Saji (Tottori prefecture) has become a major producing region of mitsumata and mitsumata papers during the Meiji period.

Korea:

The term Samji daknamu, means three branches and refers to the shape of the shrub.

There are no specific reference to the beginning of its use as paper fibers or its cultuvation. It grows wild on the southern coasts of Korea.

Samjidak papers were mainly used for printing books and sutras.

Preparation process for making paper

Japan:

Beating is performed by hands or in a small size Japanese hollander called naginata. Specks removal is done by hand.

Sheet forming is done by nagashizuki method: in the nagashizuki method the sheet is made by superimposing layers of fibers successively until the desired thickness.

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

Calamus rotang L.

Calamus rotang L.

Calamus rotang L.

Calamus rotang L.

Calamus rotang L.

Calamus rotang L.

Calamus rotang L.

Calamus rotang L.

Edgeworthia chrysantha Lindl.

Edgeworthia chrysantha Lindl.

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Search

Primary tabs

Calamus rotang L.

Calamus rotang L.

Calamus rotang L.

Calamus rotang L.

Calamus rotang L.

Calamus rotang L.

Calamus rotang L.

Calamus rotang L.

Edgeworthia chrysantha Lindl.

Edgeworthia chrysantha Lindl.

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