The rice paper plant
was not accurately identified in the Western world until 1852 by Sir William
Jackson Hooker, Director
of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. Tourists visiting China at that time
bought water-color paintings on what they mistook for paper made from rice
straw (rice is _Oryza_ _sativa). However they were actually painted on paper
made from the pith of Tetrapanax papyrifer (2).This plant is a rapidly
growing, thicket-forming, evergreen shrub or small tree with large palmately
lobed leaves 10-15 in. across with long-petioles (leaf stems). Leaves are
covered in white fuzz underneath. The whitish flowers occur on umbels 5 in. in
diameter in large, terminal, drooping panicles. The panicles may be 1-3 ft.
long (3). These attract bees in abundance for pollination. Clusters of
spherical black berries follow, each approximately 1/8 in. in diameter (1). It grows naturally in
Taiwan at elevations of 2000 to 4000 feet.  In China it is found in the warm southern
provinces. These are warm-temperate to subtropical conditions where rainfall is
abundant. It has been introduced into most tropical and subtropical areas where
it is used as an ornamental. It has naturalized in Florida (3). Some people have allergic
reactions to the foliage. The small hairs on the plant can be shaken off into
the air if bumped which can cause coughing and irritation (4).

The rice paper plant
prefers warm, wet conditions similar to its native Taiwan and Southern China (5).
It is hardy to USDA Zones 7-11. In zones 7-9 the plant dies back to the ground
in the winter and sprouts back in early spring. A thick mulch can be applied in
autumn to protect the root systems in colder edges of its range. Planting in a
sheltered location is recommended to protect it from wind damage. It requires
regular watering. It can be propagated from seeds or from cuttings in early
spring (1). It will tolerate most
soils as long as they are well-drained. They prefer a soil pH of 6.6-7.5
(neutral). This plant spreads by
suckering and forms thickets, spreading more than 20 ft. from the parent plant.
It can be quite invasive in hot humid climates.

The pith has been
used in China for centuries as a raw material for high quality paper. Cylinders
of pith are mounted on a rotating spit and thinly sliced continuously to form
long sheets which are then pressed and cut. It is strong, very stretchy when
damp and can be folded into almost any shape which it retains upon drying. It
has been used as a watercolor medium and material for making artificial flowers
and decorative hairpins. Its use was first mentioned during the Tsin Dynasty
(C.E. 265-420) when the emperor ordered servants to arrange flowers made from
it (2). The pith is used
medicinally as a deobstruent, diuretic, febrifuge, galactagogue, sedative, and
vermifuge. In South Korea it is used in the treatment of oedema (6).