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Tetrapanax papyrifer - (Hook.)K.Koch.

Rice Paper Plant

Author	(Hook.)K.Koch.	Botanical references	200, 266
Family	Araliaceae	Genus	Tetrapanax
Synonyms	Aralia papyrifera - Hook. Fatsia papyrifera - (Hook.)Miq. ex Witte.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	E. Asia - China, Taiwan.
Habitat	Hillsides in mixed forests and shrub thickets at elevations of 100 - 2800 metres[147, 266]. Subtropical forests[260].
Edibility Rating	1 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	1 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen Shrub growing to 5m by 5m.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; South Wall By; West Wall By;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Root.

Root[105, 177]. No more details are given.

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Diuretic; Febrifuge; Galactogogue; Sedative; Vermifuge.

The pith is deobstruent, diuretic, febrifuge, galactagogue, sedative and vermifuge[147, 218]. It is used in Korea in the treatment of oedema[279].

Other Uses

Paper.

The inner pith of the stems is used to make 'rice paper'[1, 46, 61, 171]. It is also used for making toys and flowers, for surgical dressings and for painting on[61]. The paper is made by cutting thin slivers from long sections of the pith[218].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in any fertile soil[182, 200] and in most situations[200]. Prefers a moist but well-drained humus-rich soil in full sun or semi-shade[188]. The plant requires a sheltered position in order to prevent damage to its large leaves[260]. Plants are not very hardy outdoors in Britain and are normally best grown in a cool greenhouse[1], but in selected sites they can tolerate temperatures down to about -5°c[166, 200]. They are often cut back to ground level in cold winters but will normally regrow from the rootstock in the spring[200]. The plant can, in fact, become invasive, spreading by means of a vigorous suckering rootstock[200]. Plants are growing well at Menehay in Cornwall[59]. A young specimen was seen at Hilliers Arboretum in April 1999. It had about 3 years of growth above ground and was growing in a sheltered but fairly sunny position with no sign of die-back[K]. Even more established plants can be found growing by a south-facing wall against a greenhouse at Cambridge Botanical Gardens. They had at least 4 years of growth above the ground in spring 1999 and were spreading at the roots[K]. Plants are much cultivated in China for the pith obtained from the stems, which is used to make 'rice paper'[46, 266]. A very ornamental plant[200], it is closely related to Fatsia japonica[182]. The flowers are produced in autumn and are often damaged by frosts[182].

Propagation

Seed - sow autumn in a greenhouse[200]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow on for at least their first year in the greenhouse. Plant out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Consider giving the plants some protection from winter cold for their first few years outdoors[K]. Division of suckers in the early spring. They can be difficult to establish[200]. It is probably best to pot up the divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse until they are well established. Keep them in the greenhouse for their first winter then plant them out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.

Links

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[59] Thurston. Trees and Shrubs in Cornwall. 0
Trees and shrubs that succeed in Cornwall based on the authors own observations. Good but rather dated.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[147] ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press 0 ISBN 0-914294-92-X
A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.

[166] Taylor. J. The Milder Garden. Dent 1990
A good book on plants that you didn't know could be grown outdoors in Britain.

[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[182] Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2
Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[260] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998 ISBN 0-330-37376-5
Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.

[266] Flora of China 1994
On-line version of the Flora - an excellent resource giving basic info on habitat and some uses.

[279] Medicinal Plants in the Republic of Korea World Health Organisation, Manila 1998 ISBN 92 9061 120 0
An excellent book with terse details about the medicinal uses of the plants with references to scientific trials. All plants are described, illustrated and brief details of habitats given.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Tetrapanax papyrifer

kabelo Tue Sep 9 2008

My neighbour has the tetrapanax papyrifera plant in his garden. It has started to root under the brick paving in my garden and thereby destroying my paving. Could you advise how I could control it so that it does not destroy my paving?

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