Tetrapanax papyrifer (Hook.) K.Koch

Rice-paper plant (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Apiales > Araliaceae > Tetrapanax

Characteristics

Shrubs or small trees, to 3.5 m tall, densely ferruginous or pale brown stellate tomentose. Trunk to 9 cm in diam.; pith homogeneous, white, large. Petiole terete, to 50 cm, glabrous; leaf blade ovate-oblong, 50-75 cm wide, papery or subleathery, abaxially densely ferruginous or stellate tomentose, adaxially glabrous, 7-12-lobed, base obtuse to cordate, margin entire to coarsely serrate, apex acuminate. Inflorescence terminal, peduncles 1-1.5 cm; umbels 1-2 cm in diam., many flowered. Flowers yellowish white. Calyx ca. 1 mm, densely stellate tomentose. Corolla petals 4(or 5), ca. 2 mm, densely stellate tomentose. Stamens 4(or 5); filaments ca. 3 mm. Fruit dark purple at maturity, globose, ca. 4 mm in diam. Fl. Oct-Dec, fr. Jan-Feb. 2n = 48*.
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A small tree up to 3-6 m tall. It spreads 4.5 m wide. It has stolons or runners. It has a dense woolly or hairy covering. The leaf blade is almost round and with 7-12 lobes. This extend about halfway to the centre. The leaves are 15-30 cm long and densely hairy underneath. The lobes taper. The leafy structures or stipules are 5-12 cm long. They join to the base of the leaf stalk. The male flowers are on stalks 3-5 mm long. These are 6-8 mm long in female flower heads. The petals are triangle shaped and 2 mm long. The fruit is round and flattened. It is about 2 mm long. It is purplish-black.
Life form perennial
Growth form shrub
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 4.0 - 8.0
Mature height (meter) 4.0 - 5.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a warm temperate and subtropical plant. It grows between 100 and 2,800 m altitude in China. It grows best in damp sites. It suits hardiness zones 8-11. In Brisbane Botanical Gardens. In Sichuan and Yunnan.
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Hillsides in mixed forests and shrub thickets at elevations of 100-2800 metres. Subtropical forests.
Hillsides in mixed forests and shrub thickets at elevations of 100-2800 metres. Subtropical forests.
Light 6-9
Soil humidity 4-7
Soil texture 2-5
Soil acidity 2-8
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 8-10

Usage

The pith of the plant is used to produce rice paper.
Uses environmental use food material medicinal
Edible roots stems
Therapeutic use Antidote (unspecified), Tuberculosis (unspecified), Diuretic (unspecified), Lactogogue (unspecified), Pectoral (unspecified), Piles (unspecified), Sore (unspecified), Surgical-Dressing (unspecified), Vermifuge (unspecified), Wound (unspecified), Deobstruent (unspecified), Anti-inflammatory agents (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by divisions, seedlings or suckers.
Mode divisions seedlings suckers
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -5
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Leaf

Tetrapanax papyrifer leaf picture by Keith Ashford (cc-by-sa)
Tetrapanax papyrifer leaf picture by Sam Scarfone (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Tetrapanax papyrifer world distribution map, present in Åland Islands, China, Japan, Norfolk Island, Korea (Democratic People's Republic of), Réunion, Taiwan, Province of China, and United States of America

Conservation status

Tetrapanax papyrifer threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:92571-1
WFO ID wfo-0000321645
COL ID 55RBM
BDTFX ID 103176
INPN ID 670728
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Aralia papyrifera Tetrapanax papyrifer Aralia mairei Panax papyrifer Echinopanax papyrifer Didymopanax papyriferus Didymopanax papyrifer Fatsia papyrifera