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Berberis thunbergii DC. © Plantillustrations

Berberis thunbergii DC. © Treeflower Garden

Botanical classification

Berberis thunbergii DC.

Order:

Ranunculales

Family:

Berberidaceae

Plant growing area

Native to Japan : Kanto, Shikoku, Kyushu. Cultivated in China.

Grows in woods, old fields, roadsides.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Japan, Korea.

Plant cultivation and use

Deciduous thorny shrub, usually grows circa 1-2 m tall which pale yellow flowers forming small clusters which will give red berries. Flowering is late, in April to May.The plant has an extensive root system with branched rhizomes.

Japanese barberry accepts various types of soils but prefers less acidic soils; it is full sun, part sun and shade tolerant.

A strong yellow dye can be extracted from the wood, root, bark, by cooking them in water. The extract contains alkaloids (berberine, berbamine, and oxyacanthine) and some soluble tannins. The main dye is berberine.

The stems, the leaves and the berries can also be used to give a yellow to coral colour. Dye is used in combination with or without mordent on wool and silk. Using an aluminum mordent the color turns to coral. The color has poor light fastness.

The plant also has antimicrobial and antifungal medicinal properties.

China:

Commonly cultivated for ornament in China. Also used for dyeing fabrics.

The Tiang Kong Kai Wu (Creations of nature and work of man ), encyclopedia dating 1634 or 1637, written by Song Yingxing, gives a recipe to prepare a greenish yellow dye.

Preparation process for making paper

China:

Extract is obtained by boiling in water for 2 to 3 hours, wood, roots and bark chopped into pieces. Dyeing is performed without etching.

Tiang Kong Kai Wu recipe: stems without bark and roots, cut into small pieces, are boiled for several hours; fibers are soaked in the liquid and in a very diluted bath of indigo starch.

Japan:

Dyeing of papers is performed in two ways: pulp dyeing (sukizome) or sheet dyeing (hitachizome 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 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:

Bark

Root

Stem

Use for paper making:

Dye

Language:

English

Botanical classification

Berberis thunbergii DC.

Order:

Ranunculales

Family:

Berberidaceae

Plant growing area

Native to Japan : Kanto, Shikoku, Kyushu. Cultivated in China.

Grows in woods, old fields, roadsides.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Japan, Korea.

Plant cultivation and use

Japanese barberry accepts various types of soils but prefers less acidic soils; it is full sun, part sun and shade tolerant.

The plant also has antimicrobial and antifungal medicinal properties.

China:

Commonly cultivated for ornament in China. Also used for dyeing fabrics.

The Tiang Kong Kai Wu (Creations of nature and work of man ), encyclopedia dating 1634 or 1637, written by Song Yingxing, gives a recipe to prepare a greenish yellow dye.

Preparation process for making paper

China:

Extract is obtained by boiling in water for 2 to 3 hours, wood, roots and bark chopped into pieces. Dyeing is performed without etching.

Tiang Kong Kai Wu recipe: stems without bark and roots, cut into small pieces, are boiled for several hours; fibers are soaked in the liquid and in a very diluted bath of indigo starch.

Japan:

Dyeing of papers is performed in two ways: pulp dyeing (sukizome) or sheet dyeing (hitachizome 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:

Paper names

Korea:

Suffix ji = paper.

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

Used part of the plant:

Bark

Root

Stem

Use for paper making:

Dye

Boehmeria nivea (L.) Gaudich. © Flora of China

Boehmeria nivea (L.) Gaudich. © C.Laroque

Boehmeria nivea (L.) Gaudich. © L.B. Vilmont

Identification

Fibre type	Bast fiber
Average fibre lenght	60 – 250 mm
Average fibre width	17 – 80 μm
Fibre ends	Round ends (rarely present).
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases	Longitudinal stratifications of the wall, many crosses.
Associated cells	Crystals of calcium oxalate.
Special features	Fibers are flat, ribbon-shaped and tend to twist and tangle; they have a large lumen and a membrane. Cross-section: flatter than tubular, lumen and walls of varying thickness.
Herzberg staining	Orange red.
Graff 'C' staining	Red.

Botanical classification

Boehmeria nivea (L.) Gaudich.

Order:

Rosales

Family:

Urticaceae

Synonyms:

Boehmeria nivea (L.) Hook. f. & Arn.

Urtica nivea L. (pour Boehmeria nivea var. nivea)

Ramium niveum (L.) Kuntze

Plant growing area

Originated in tropical areas of Asia.

Bhutan, Cambodia, China (South Anhui, Fujian, South Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, South Henan, Hainan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, South Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang), India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Nepal, Sikkim, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam.

Forest margins, thickets, moist places along streams, roadsides, often cultivated; 200-1700 m.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Korea, Japan.

Plant cultivation and use

Boehmerias form one of the genera of the Urticaceae family; the genus includes one hundred species. There are about 65 tropical or subtropical species of which 6 are endemic in China. These are flowering plants, but unlike other members of the same family, genus bears no stinging hairs.

Boehmeria nivea or white ramie or is a large perennial herb. It spreads by fragmentation of rhizomes. The stems reach 2 to 3m high. The plant likes sandy and well drained soils.

The plant is cultivated for its resistant bast fibers. It is possible to obtain 2-4 harvests per year depending on the climate of the region.

Its fibers are shorter than those of hemp, but they are very strong in the manufacture of ropes and nets. The longest fibers are reserved for the textile industry while the shortest are for paper manufacturing.

This is one of the oldest textile plants because its use would have started more than 6000 years ago (it was used in the manufacture of strips for the preparation of mummies in Egypt).

However, the fibers are difficult to extract from the plant. Indeed, it is difficult to peel them in tow because they are very embedded with gums.

The fibers are difficult to dye due to high molecular crystallinity. They have a shiny appearance that made them qualify as silk plant.

The other species appreciated for textiles, is the green ramie (Boehmeria utilis, Boehmeria tenacissima), which is also cultivated in China.

Ramie has medical uses in particular it is febrifuge. Leaves and roots are also eaten.
Boehmeria nivea can also be grown as forage plant.

China:

The cultivation of ramie is reflected in China over 3000 years. The documents refer mainly to its culture as a textile plant. It grew around in the wild in China, especially in north and west areas, such as flax, hemp, jute. All these plants are called “ma” in old Chinese documents.

According to Ying-Hsing in « Tiangong kaiwu » or « Creations of nature and work of man » (circa 1600-1660) there are two varieties, green and yellow. Stems can be harvested two or three times a year. The fiber is different from flax, hemp and jute as it is covered with pectin, which is not easy to remove by bacterial action.

The process of elimination of pectin to get the fiber, is described by Lu Chi in the "Shih Ching" from the 3rd century: Remove the bark with a bamboo or iron knife; boil the internal fibers. This textile is used as furnishing textile throughout southern China.

The process of elimination of pectin was not well known in northern China that is why the clothes made with ramie were produced and worn especially in the south. They are known to be light for summer and are worn by the common people. It also used to make curtains, mosquito nets.
The Mongolian government in the13th century tried to introduce its culture in northern China but without success because the ramie does not grow well in the north, too dry. It survived in the south to the development of cotton cultivation. In the 19th century there is a flourishing trade in Canton for export to Europe.

Ramie is one of the oldest fibers used in China in the manufacture of paper. From the Tang Dynasty (618-907), there is a strong demand for hemp textiles; hemp reserved for textiles use, will be progressively replaced by ramie in the manufacture of paper. Its use will disappear at the end of the dynasty.

Japan:

It was mainly used as a textile plant in particular in the production of a very fine fabric called Miyako-Jōfu from the Miyako-jima Islands (Okinawa Prefecture). The fabric allows making clothes well adapted to local climatic conditions.

Korea:

It has rarely been used in Korea as a paper plant but mainly as a textile plant.

Preparation process for making paper

China:

Harvesting is made when stems turn to brown. The leaves are removed from the stems, the stems are steamed and the fibres stripped off. This inside bark is dried to avoid rotting.

The fibres are cooked for 2 hours with lye (fresh material might require longer cooking). They are then beaten in a Hollander beater.

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.

Used part of the plant:

Stem

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Language:

Chinese

Local scripture:

东方香蒲

Typha orientalis C. Presl © IFAS University of Florida

Identification

Fibre type	Grass (Stem)
Average fibre lenght	1,7 mm
Average fibre width	22 µm
Fibre ends	Pointed.
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases	Prominent wall.
Associated cells
Special features	Very large vessel elements, unwound spiral vessels.
Herzberg staining	Dark purple
Graff 'C' staining	Dark purple

Botanical classification

Typha orientalis C. Presl

Order:

Poales

Family:

Typhaceae

Synonyms:

Typha latifolia var. orientalis (C. Presl) Rohrb.

Typha orientalis var. brunnea Skvortsov

Typha shuttleworthii Lehm.

Typha shuttleworthii subsp. orientalis (C. Presl) Graebn.

Typha shuttleworthii var. orientalis (C. Presl) Rohrb.

Plant growing area

The genus is found mainly in the Northern hemisphere and can be found in a large variety of wetland habitats.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Korea.

China:

Hunan.

Plant cultivation and use

Typha orientalis is a perennial monocotyledonous plant of wetlands where it grows in dense colonies. The roots are rhizomes and stem is topped by a dense inflorescence in shape of distaff. It is found in temperate, tropical, subtropical climates. It reaches 1.50m to 3m height. It prefers the rich soils of the pond margins, full sun or part shade.

The leaves, flowers and roots have medicinal properties. The roots and young shoots are edible.
The stems and leaves are used for thatching and can be woven into mats, hats, etc.
The root fibers are used to make string while the stem fibers are used in the manufacture of a greenish or brown paper.

Preparation process for making paper

Korea:

The plants are harvested in summer, autumn or winter and are soaked in water for a day. They are then cooked for 2 hours with sodium hydroxide. The fibers are then beaten in a grinder for 1 hour to 2 hours.

Paper names

Korea:

Suffix ji = paper.

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

Used part of the plant:

Leaf

Stem

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Language:

English

Botanical classification

Berberis thunbergii DC.

Order:

Ranunculales

Family:

Berberidaceae

Plant growing area

Native to Japan : Kanto, Shikoku, Kyushu. Cultivated in China.

Grows in woods, old fields, roadsides.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Japan, Korea.

Plant cultivation and use

Japanese barberry accepts various types of soils but prefers less acidic soils; it is full sun, part sun and shade tolerant.

The plant also has antimicrobial and antifungal medicinal properties.

China:

Commonly cultivated for ornament in China. Also used for dyeing fabrics.

The Tiang Kong Kai Wu (Creations of nature and work of man ), encyclopedia dating 1634 or 1637, written by Song Yingxing, gives a recipe to prepare a greenish yellow dye.

Preparation process for making paper

China:

Extract is obtained by boiling in water for 2 to 3 hours, wood, roots and bark chopped into pieces. Dyeing is performed without etching.

Tiang Kong Kai Wu recipe: stems without bark and roots, cut into small pieces, are boiled for several hours; fibers are soaked in the liquid and in a very diluted bath of indigo starch.

Japan:

Dyeing of papers is performed in two ways: pulp dyeing (sukizome) or sheet dyeing (hitachizome 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:

Paper names

Korea:

Suffix ji = paper.

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

Used part of the plant:

Bark

Root

Stem

Use for paper making:

Dye

Language:

Korean

Local scripture:

매자나무

Botanical classification

Berberis thunbergii DC.

Order:

Ranunculales

Family:

Berberidaceae

Plant growing area

Native to Japan : Kanto, Shikoku, Kyushu. Cultivated in China.

Grows in woods, old fields, roadsides.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Japan, Korea.

Plant cultivation and use

Japanese barberry accepts various types of soils but prefers less acidic soils; it is full sun, part sun and shade tolerant.

The plant also has antimicrobial and antifungal medicinal properties.

China:

Commonly cultivated for ornament in China. Also used for dyeing fabrics.

The Tiang Kong Kai Wu (Creations of nature and work of man ), encyclopedia dating 1634 or 1637, written by Song Yingxing, gives a recipe to prepare a greenish yellow dye.

Preparation process for making paper

China:

Extract is obtained by boiling in water for 2 to 3 hours, wood, roots and bark chopped into pieces. Dyeing is performed without etching.

Tiang Kong Kai Wu recipe: stems without bark and roots, cut into small pieces, are boiled for several hours; fibers are soaked in the liquid and in a very diluted bath of indigo starch.

Japan:

Dyeing of papers is performed in two ways: pulp dyeing (sukizome) or sheet dyeing (hitachizome 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:

Paper names

Korea:

Suffix ji = paper.

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

Used part of the plant:

Bark

Root

Stem

Use for paper making:

Dye

Language:

Chinese

Local scripture:

日本小檗

Botanical classification

Berberis thunbergii DC.

Order:

Ranunculales

Family:

Berberidaceae

Plant growing area

Native to Japan : Kanto, Shikoku, Kyushu. Cultivated in China.

Grows in woods, old fields, roadsides.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Japan, Korea.

Plant cultivation and use

Japanese barberry accepts various types of soils but prefers less acidic soils; it is full sun, part sun and shade tolerant.

The plant also has antimicrobial and antifungal medicinal properties.

China:

Commonly cultivated for ornament in China. Also used for dyeing fabrics.

The Tiang Kong Kai Wu (Creations of nature and work of man ), encyclopedia dating 1634 or 1637, written by Song Yingxing, gives a recipe to prepare a greenish yellow dye.

Preparation process for making paper

China:

Extract is obtained by boiling in water for 2 to 3 hours, wood, roots and bark chopped into pieces. Dyeing is performed without etching.

Tiang Kong Kai Wu recipe: stems without bark and roots, cut into small pieces, are boiled for several hours; fibers are soaked in the liquid and in a very diluted bath of indigo starch.

Japan:

Dyeing of papers is performed in two ways: pulp dyeing (sukizome) or sheet dyeing (hitachizome 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:

Paper names

Korea:

Suffix ji = paper.

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

Used part of the plant:

Bark

Root

Stem

Use for paper making:

Dye

Language:

French

Botanical classification

Berberis thunbergii DC.

Order:

Ranunculales

Family:

Berberidaceae

Plant growing area

Native to Japan : Kanto, Shikoku, Kyushu. Cultivated in China.

Grows in woods, old fields, roadsides.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Japan, Korea.

Plant cultivation and use

Japanese barberry accepts various types of soils but prefers less acidic soils; it is full sun, part sun and shade tolerant.

The plant also has antimicrobial and antifungal medicinal properties.

China:

Commonly cultivated for ornament in China. Also used for dyeing fabrics.

The Tiang Kong Kai Wu (Creations of nature and work of man ), encyclopedia dating 1634 or 1637, written by Song Yingxing, gives a recipe to prepare a greenish yellow dye.

Preparation process for making paper

China:

Extract is obtained by boiling in water for 2 to 3 hours, wood, roots and bark chopped into pieces. Dyeing is performed without etching.

Tiang Kong Kai Wu recipe: stems without bark and roots, cut into small pieces, are boiled for several hours; fibers are soaked in the liquid and in a very diluted bath of indigo starch.

Japan:

Dyeing of papers is performed in two ways: pulp dyeing (sukizome) or sheet dyeing (hitachizome 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:

Paper names

Korea:

Suffix ji = paper.

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

Used part of the plant:

Bark

Root

Stem

Use for paper making:

Dye

Language:

French

Botanical classification

Berberis thunbergii DC.

Order:

Ranunculales

Family:

Berberidaceae

Plant growing area

Native to Japan : Kanto, Shikoku, Kyushu. Cultivated in China.

Grows in woods, old fields, roadsides.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Japan, Korea.

Plant cultivation and use

Japanese barberry accepts various types of soils but prefers less acidic soils; it is full sun, part sun and shade tolerant.

The plant also has antimicrobial and antifungal medicinal properties.

China:

Commonly cultivated for ornament in China. Also used for dyeing fabrics.

The Tiang Kong Kai Wu (Creations of nature and work of man ), encyclopedia dating 1634 or 1637, written by Song Yingxing, gives a recipe to prepare a greenish yellow dye.

Preparation process for making paper

China:

Extract is obtained by boiling in water for 2 to 3 hours, wood, roots and bark chopped into pieces. Dyeing is performed without etching.

Tiang Kong Kai Wu recipe: stems without bark and roots, cut into small pieces, are boiled for several hours; fibers are soaked in the liquid and in a very diluted bath of indigo starch.

Japan:

Dyeing of papers is performed in two ways: pulp dyeing (sukizome) or sheet dyeing (hitachizome 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:

Paper names

Korea:

Suffix ji = paper.

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

Used part of the plant:

Bark

Root

Stem

Use for paper making:

Dye

Language:

French

Botanical classification

Berberis thunbergii DC.

Order:

Ranunculales

Family:

Berberidaceae

Plant growing area

Native to Japan : Kanto, Shikoku, Kyushu. Cultivated in China.

Grows in woods, old fields, roadsides.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Japan, Korea.

Plant cultivation and use

Japanese barberry accepts various types of soils but prefers less acidic soils; it is full sun, part sun and shade tolerant.

The plant also has antimicrobial and antifungal medicinal properties.

China:

Commonly cultivated for ornament in China. Also used for dyeing fabrics.

The Tiang Kong Kai Wu (Creations of nature and work of man ), encyclopedia dating 1634 or 1637, written by Song Yingxing, gives a recipe to prepare a greenish yellow dye.

Preparation process for making paper

China:

Extract is obtained by boiling in water for 2 to 3 hours, wood, roots and bark chopped into pieces. Dyeing is performed without etching.

Tiang Kong Kai Wu recipe: stems without bark and roots, cut into small pieces, are boiled for several hours; fibers are soaked in the liquid and in a very diluted bath of indigo starch.

Japan:

Dyeing of papers is performed in two ways: pulp dyeing (sukizome) or sheet dyeing (hitachizome 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:

Paper names

Korea:

Suffix ji = paper.

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

Used part of the plant:

Bark

Root

Stem

Use for paper making:

Dye

Primary tabs

Berberis thunbergii DC.

Berberis thunbergii DC.

Boehmeria nivea (L.) Gaudich.

Typha orientalis C. Presl

Berberis thunbergii DC.

Berberis thunbergii DC.

Berberis thunbergii DC.

Berberis thunbergii DC.

Berberis thunbergii DC.

Berberis thunbergii DC.

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Primary tabs

Berberis thunbergii DC.

Berberis thunbergii DC.

Boehmeria nivea (L.) Gaudich.

Typha orientalis C. Presl

Berberis thunbergii DC.

Berberis thunbergii DC.

Berberis thunbergii DC.

Berberis thunbergii DC.

Berberis thunbergii DC.

Berberis thunbergii DC.

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