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Phyllostachys edulis (Carrière) J. Houz. © Flora of China

Phyllostachys edulis (Carrière) J. Houz. © L.B. Vilmont

Phyllostachys edulis (Carrière) J. Houz. © G. Chen

Identification

Fibre type	Grass (Stem)
Average fibre lenght	1,2 - 2,4 mm
Average fibre width	20µm
Fibre ends	Pointed.
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases
Associated cells	Vessel elements, small rectangular thick walled parenchyma cells.
Special features	Long fibers (longer than rice straw) sometimes very wide vessel elements. Prominent fiber wall.
Herzberg staining
Graff 'C' staining	Deep blue or greyish reddish blue.

Botanical classification

Phyllostachys edulis (Carrière) J. Houz.

Order:

Poales

Family:

Poaceae

Synonyms:

Bambusa heterocycla Carrière

Bambusa pubescens Carrière

Phyllostachys edulis var. heteroclada (Carrière) Makino

Phyllostachys heterocycla (Carrière) Mitford

Phyllostachys heterocycla (Carrière) S. Matsum.

Phyllostachys heterocycla var. pubescens (Mazel ex J. Houz.) Ohwi

Phyllostachys pubescens (Carrière) Mazel ex J. Houz.

Phyllostachys pubescens Mazel ex J. Houz.

Phyllostachys pubescens var. heteroclada (Carrière) J. Houz.

Sinoarundinaria edulis (Carrière) Ohwi ex Mayeb.

Plant growing area

Most of species of bamboos are native to Asia, most of them located in hot and humid South-East regions. They are found at altitudes varying up to 3000 m in the Himalayas.

China (Anhui, Fujian Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang), Taiwan.

Phyllostachys edulis is an introduced species in Korea, Japan, Philippines and Vietnam.

Phyllostachys edulis grows on mountain slopes below 1600 m or more.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Korea, Japan.

China:

Fujian (Naping county), Guangdong, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, (Guangxin county), Sichuan (Jiangan county), Yunnan (Dehong, Honghe, Simao, Linchang, Luoping, Wenshan, Xishuangbanna, Zhaotong), Zhejiang, (Taishun, Fuyang counties).

Japan:

Chubu (Ishikawa Prefecture), Kanto (Tokyo Prefecture), Kyushu (Kagoshima Prefecture).

Plant cultivation and use

Bamboos have 80 genera and over 1200 species including 300 in China.They are perennial herbs which grow in large clumps and multiply by their rhizomes from which start woody hollow stems punctuated by knots. They can reach 30 to 40m high. Flowering is random : they bloom later and at different ages depending on the species and then they die.

Bamboos abound throughout Asia where they are deeply rooted in cultures. In addition to manufacturing all kinds of everyday objects, young bamboo shoots are edible and some are also used in herbal medecine.

Phyllostachys edulis is resistant to low temperatures down to - 20 ° C and can reach 30m in height. It is widely grown for its edible shoots.

China:

Bamboo cultivation does exist in China for over 7000 years and is deeply rooted in Chinese culture and daily life. The bamboos have always been used to make all sorts of daily life objects and before the invention of paper, they were the most important materials for writing during around 800 years. The first brushes were also made from bamboo.

Bamboo is an abundant, cheap and easily renewable resource for papermaking. It is used solely or mixed with other fibers. In the past bamboo was grown everywhere in China except in the extreme north but it grew until the provinces along the Yellow River (Huang He), its cultivation has moved south because of deforestation.

The bamboo species identified in paper making vary according to the authors. Pan Jixing identifies four genuses: Phyllostachys edulis, Phyllostachys nigra (Lodd.ex Lindl.) Munro, Pleioblastus amarus Keng and Dendrocalamus affinis Rendle.

But also other types are cited: Drepanostachyum falcatum (Nees) Keng, Indosasa McClure, Melocanna bambusoides Trinius, Phyllostachys aurea Carr. ex M. Riv & C.Riv, Phyllostachys heteroclada Oliv., Semiarundinaria densiflora Rendle T.H. Wen and Schizostachyum Nees.

The very first bamboo papers were made from the 5th to 6th century. Bamboo becomes the major source of fibers for paper from the second half of the eighth century during the Tang Dynasty. At first it is a substitute for hemp, first textile material, and to rattan which is completely exhausted at the end of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It is abundant and cheap because it grows quickly. Under the Tang, a feudal period marked by a strong political stability, cultural development and economic prosperity, the need of paper for writing documents, increases.

The use of bamboo started in Guangdong where it grows in abundance with a hot and humid climate. The method extends to Zhejiang and Jiangsu during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Indeed, it is under the Song that movable type printing was invented, accelerating the development of the paper industry. However it seems that the production is still at an early stage and the result imperfect.

Various written accounts show that if bamboo paper was invented in the late eighth century, it became popular, especially among artists, during the late 12th century, early 13th century.

It is during the Ming Dynasty (1348 -1644) that the technique of making paper from bamboo will improve. A detailed description is given in "Tian Gong Kai Wu" or "Creations of nature and work of man" (17th century book from Song Yingxing), where a long chapter is devoted to making paper from bamboo.

Bamboo papermaking has remained more or less the same. In the 1950s the production of handmade paper made from bamboo was about 120.000 tons.

Japan:

Bamboo is also very abundant in Japan where it is used as in China, in manufacturing a wide range of handicrafts, or as food and in the pharmacopoeia.

It has not been used to make paper, but paper paper was imported into Japan.

It is currently used in combination with other fibers such as paper mulberry fibers of and other bast fibers, to prevent the spread of ink into paper. These papers are intended to calligraphy. They have a cream color which is appreciated because it recalls the color of old papers. The papers are called watoshi or toshi and are an imitation of Chinese paper. The manufacturing process begins in the late 18th century in Kagoshima Prefecture, developed by a papermaker who had studied the technique in China. Tokyo starts a production in 1806 and will dominate the market at the expense of the former province of Satsuma (Kagoshima Prefecture).

Korea:

In Korea bamboo paper is made from the Joseon period (1392-1910) when the main paper material (Broussonetia kazinoki) fails. Bamboo fiber is then used as additional fiber to dak.

Paper is made from bamboo leaves or mixed with the bark of paper mulberry. It is a plain paper for everyday use.

Preparation process for making paper

The cultivation of bamboo is done by cutting propagation of a piece of rhizome from a four years bamboo. Planting takes place between March and April or between August and September.

China:

Harvesting takes place when the bamboo begins to bud. Leaves and buds are removed and the bamboo stems are cut to a length of 1.50m to 2m. The green bark is then removed after or not, a bath of water (the operation is called "killing the green"). The pieces of bamboo are cut in their length and assembled into bundles of 25 kg. The bundles are then immersed in water for one week and then cut into bundles of 50cm length. These bundles are immersed in pits filled with lime for 1 or 2 months. The bamboos are then rinsed with water to remove any lime; this rinse lasts 10 days.

The bundles are then boiled in water for 5 days to soften them and then sprinkled with urine and left to fermentate for 15 days. The bundles are then placed back in the pits filled with water and removed when required but generally, not before six months.

Another technique is to cook the bamboo in an alkaline solution of ashes or lime water during 4 or 5 days; this operation allows the elimination of embedded substances and also whitens the fibers.

To prepare the pulp before forming the sheets, a first beating is done in a stone grinderuntil obtaining a clay consistency. Previously a trip hammer was used. Currently the pulp is poured into a sort of hollander beater without wheel, where it circulates; this operation allows the removal of large pieces which float on the surface.

The pulp is then poured into the tank, dispersed into water and mucilage is added which will work as formation aid of the sheet. The nature of the plant that provides the mucilage varies according to the region.

The sheets are formed in a single scoop on a movable screen. The sheets are placed in stack with a inserted wire. At the end of the day, the stack of paper is covered with a board and placed under a charge or in a lever press.

The next day, the sheets are detached from the stack and brushed on the surface of a vertical double brick wall heated like an oven; they can also be brushed on a board or placed on the ground.

The paper may or may not be sized with wheat or rice flour paste: the glue is brushed on both sides with a broad brush. The operation can be done at the time of drying.

Japan:

The bamboos are cut when the leaves begin to grow. The bark and knots are removed. The fibers are crushed with a mallet and dried in the shade.

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.

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:

Stem

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Language:

French

Identification

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

Botanical classification

Hibiscus cannabinus L.

Order:

Malvales

Family:

Malvaceae

Synonyms:

Abelmoschus verrucosus (Guill. & Perr.) Walp.

Furcaria cavanillesii Kostel.

Hibiscus unidens Lindl.

Hibiscus verrucosus Guill. & Perr.

Ketmia glandulosa Moench

Plant growing area

Native to Africa and India.

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

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, India, Japan, Korea.

Plant cultivation and use

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

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

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

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

Japan:

Kenaf is a modern paper fiber in Japan.

Preparation process for making paper

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

Paper names

Used part of the plant:

Stem

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Language:

English

Phyllostachys heteroclada Oliv. © Flora of China

Phyllostachys heteroclada Oliv. © C. Laroque

Phyllostachys heteroclada Oliv. © M. Seki

Identification

Fibre type	Grass (Stalk)
Average fibre lenght	1,2 - 2,4 mm
Average fibre width	20µm
Fibre ends	Pointed.
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases
Associated cells	Vessel elements, small rectangular thick walled parenchyma cells.
Special features	Long fibers (longer than rice straw) sometimes very wide vessel elements. Prominent fiber wall.
Herzberg staining
Graff 'C' staining	Deep blue.

Botanical classification

Phyllostachys heteroclada Oliv.

Order:

Poales

Family:

Poaceae

Synonyms:

Phyllostachys congesta Rendle

Phyllostachys purpurata McClure

Phyllostachys purpureomaculata W. T. Lin & Z. J. Feng

Plant growing area

Most of species of bamboos are native to Asia, most of them located in hot and humid South-East regions. They are found at altitudes varying up to 3000 m in the Himalayas.

China (Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang), Nepal.

Grow in forests or in scrubs on slopes, river banks, valleys.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China.

China:

Fujian (Naping county), Guangdong, Jiangsu, Jaingxi (Guangxin county), Sichuan (Jiangan county), Zhejiang (Taishun, Fuyang counties).

Plant cultivation and use

Bamboos have 80 genera and over 1200 species including 300 in China. They are perennial herbs which grow in large clumps and multiply by their rhizomes from which start woody hollow stems punctuated by knots. They can reach 30 to 40m high. Flowering is random: they bloom later and at different ages depending on the species and then they die.

Phyllostachys Heteroclada is a running bamboo because its rhizomes allow it to grow under high humidity conditions. This species is wildly cultivated for its high quality stems which are used for making waving.

China:

The use of bamboo started in Guangdong where it grows in abundance with a hot and humid climate. The method extends to Zhejiang and Jiangsu during the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

Indeed, it is under the Song that movable type printing was invented, accelerating the development of the paper industry. However it seems that the production is still at an early stage and the result
imperfect.

Various written accounts show that if bamboo paper was invented in the late eighth century, it became popular, especially among artists, during the late 12th century, early 13th century.

It is during the Ming Dynasty (1348 -1644) that the technique of making paper from bamboo will improve. A detailed description is given in "Tian Gong Kai Wu" or "Creations of nature and work of man" (17th century book by Song Yingxing), where a long chapter is devoted to making paper from bamboo.

Bamboo papermaking has remained more or less the same. In the 1950s the production of handmade paper made from bamboo was about 120.000 tons.

Preparation process for making paper

The cultivation of bamboo is done by cutting propagation of a piece of rhizome from a four years bamboo. Planting takes place between March and April or between August and September.

China:

Another technique is to cook the bamboo in an alkaline solution of ashes or lime water during 4 to 5 days; this operation allows the elimination of embedded substances and also whitens the fibers.

In order to prepare the pulp before forming the sheets, a first beating is done in a stone grinder until obtaining a clay consistency. Previously a trip hammer was used. Currently the pulp is poured into a sort of hollander beater without wheel, where it circulates; this operation allows the removal of large pieces which float on the surface.

The sheets are formed in a single scoop on a movable screen. The sheets are placed in stack with a inserted thread. At the end of the day, the stack of paper is covered with a board and placed under a charge or in a lever press.

The next day, the sheets are detached from the stack and brushed on the surface of a vertical double brick wall heated like an oven; they can also be brushed on a board or placed on the ground.

The paper may or may not be sized with wheat or rice flour paste: the glue is brushed on both sides with a broad brush. The operation can be done at the time of drying.

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:

English

Identification

Fibre type	Grass (Stem)
Average fibre lenght	1,2 - 2,4 mm
Average fibre width	20µm
Fibre ends	Pointed.
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases
Associated cells	Vessel elements, small rectangular thick walled parenchyma cells.
Special features	Long fibers (longer than rice straw) sometimes very wide vessel elements. Prominent fiber wall.
Herzberg staining
Graff 'C' staining	Deep blue or greyish reddish blue.

Botanical classification

Phyllostachys edulis (Carrière) J. Houz.

Order:

Poales

Family:

Poaceae

Synonyms:

Bambusa heterocycla Carrière

Bambusa pubescens Carrière

Phyllostachys edulis var. heteroclada (Carrière) Makino

Phyllostachys heterocycla (Carrière) Mitford

Phyllostachys heterocycla (Carrière) S. Matsum.

Phyllostachys heterocycla var. pubescens (Mazel ex J. Houz.) Ohwi

Phyllostachys pubescens (Carrière) Mazel ex J. Houz.

Phyllostachys pubescens Mazel ex J. Houz.

Phyllostachys pubescens var. heteroclada (Carrière) J. Houz.

Sinoarundinaria edulis (Carrière) Ohwi ex Mayeb.

Plant growing area

Most of species of bamboos are native to Asia, most of them located in hot and humid South-East regions. They are found at altitudes varying up to 3000 m in the Himalayas.

China (Anhui, Fujian Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang), Taiwan.

Phyllostachys edulis is an introduced species in Korea, Japan, Philippines and Vietnam.

Phyllostachys edulis grows on mountain slopes below 1600 m or more.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Korea, Japan.

China:

Japan:

Chubu (Ishikawa Prefecture), Kanto (Tokyo Prefecture), Kyushu (Kagoshima Prefecture).

Plant cultivation and use

Phyllostachys edulis is resistant to low temperatures down to - 20 ° C and can reach 30m in height. It is widely grown for its edible shoots.

China:

Various written accounts show that if bamboo paper was invented in the late eighth century, it became popular, especially among artists, during the late 12th century, early 13th century.

Bamboo papermaking has remained more or less the same. In the 1950s the production of handmade paper made from bamboo was about 120.000 tons.

Japan:

Bamboo is also very abundant in Japan where it is used as in China, in manufacturing a wide range of handicrafts, or as food and in the pharmacopoeia.

It has not been used to make paper, but paper paper was imported into Japan.

Korea:

In Korea bamboo paper is made from the Joseon period (1392-1910) when the main paper material (Broussonetia kazinoki) fails. Bamboo fiber is then used as additional fiber to dak.

Paper is made from bamboo leaves or mixed with the bark of paper mulberry. It is a plain paper for everyday use.

Preparation process for making paper

The cultivation of bamboo is done by cutting propagation of a piece of rhizome from a four years bamboo. Planting takes place between March and April or between August and September.

China:

Another technique is to cook the bamboo in an alkaline solution of ashes or lime water during 4 or 5 days; this operation allows the elimination of embedded substances and also whitens the fibers.

The next day, the sheets are detached from the stack and brushed on the surface of a vertical double brick wall heated like an oven; they can also be brushed on a board or placed on the ground.

The paper may or may not be sized with wheat or rice flour paste: the glue is brushed on both sides with a broad brush. The operation can be done at the time of drying.

Japan:

The bamboos are cut when the leaves begin to grow. The bark and knots are removed. The fibers are crushed with a mallet and dried in the shade.

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.

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:

Stem

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Literally paper for beating gold. Hakuuchigami is a paper used for beating gold and silver leaves; it is very smooth because it contains clay. It can be coated with a mixture of straw ashes mixed with egg white.

Origin:

Japan

Local scripture:

箔打紙

Botanical name:

Wikstroemia sikokiania Franc. & Sav.

Language:

French

Identification

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

Botanical classification

Hibiscus cannabinus L.

Order:

Malvales

Family:

Malvaceae

Synonyms:

Abelmoschus verrucosus (Guill. & Perr.) Walp.

Furcaria cavanillesii Kostel.

Hibiscus unidens Lindl.

Hibiscus verrucosus Guill. & Perr.

Ketmia glandulosa Moench

Plant growing area

Native to Africa and India.

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

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, India, Japan, Korea.

Plant cultivation and use

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

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

Japan:

Kenaf is a modern paper fiber in Japan.

Preparation process for making paper

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

Paper names

Used part of the plant:

Stem

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Hoshoshi or Hoshogami is a luxury paper that was used for official documents especially during the Edo period (1603-1868); it was originally manufactured only at Echizen (Fukui Prefecture), and is now produced in other regions. It is used especially for prints, book printing. Traditionally to get a glossy appearance, the bark was put to freeze the night before cooking; cooking was performed in a ash lye of blue taro stems. For most ordinary qualities, buckwheat straw and sagebrush were used). Hosho paper from Echizen is one of the most famous of the Edo period.

Origin:

Japan

Local scripture:

奉書紙

Synonym:

Hoshoshi 奉書紙

Botanical name:

Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) L’Hér. ex Vent.

Language:

English

Identification

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

Botanical classification

Hibiscus cannabinus L.

Order:

Malvales

Family:

Malvaceae

Synonyms:

Abelmoschus verrucosus (Guill. & Perr.) Walp.

Furcaria cavanillesii Kostel.

Hibiscus unidens Lindl.

Hibiscus verrucosus Guill. & Perr.

Ketmia glandulosa Moench

Plant growing area

Native to Africa and India.

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

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, India, Japan, Korea.

Plant cultivation and use

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

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

Japan:

Kenaf is a modern paper fiber in Japan.

Preparation process for making paper

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

Paper names

Used part of the plant:

Stem

Use for paper making:

Fiber

Language:

Chinese

Local scripture:

芒

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:

English

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

Phyllostachys edulis (Carrière) J. Houz.

Hibiscus cannabinus L.

Phyllostachys heteroclada Oliv.

Phyllostachys edulis (Carrière) J. Houz.

Hibiscus cannabinus L.

Hibiscus cannabinus L.

Miscanthus sinensis Anders.

Miscanthus sinensis Anders.

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Primary tabs

Phyllostachys edulis (Carrière) J. Houz.

Hibiscus cannabinus L.

Phyllostachys heteroclada Oliv.

Phyllostachys edulis (Carrière) J. Houz.

Hibiscus cannabinus L.

Hibiscus cannabinus L.

Miscanthus sinensis Anders.

Miscanthus sinensis Anders.

Pages