Rice paper, Chinese ricepaper plant
Tetrapanax papyrifer

Family: Araliaceae

What it is like

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.

There is only one Tetrapanax species. A form of rice paper is made from the pith of the stem.

Where it is found

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.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, China, Hawaii, India, Korea, Norfolk Island, Pacific, St Helena, Taiwan (country/location of origin), USA

How it is used for food

The pith of the plant is used to produce rice paper.

Edible parts

Root

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Aralia papyrifera Hook.; Fatsia papyrifera Benth. & Hook.f.;