Description
Tetrapanax – Rice Paper Plant –
There is a sole species of suckering evergreen shrub or small tree in the Araliaceae family in this genus. They naturally occur in woodland in Southern China and Taiwan. It is grown for its large, alternate, fan like palmately lobed leaves which are felted all over when Young, and it umbels of 4-5 petalled flowers borne in panicle like, woolly creamy white inflorescences with conspicuous bracts, and its clusters of drupe black fruit. Where note hardy, grow against a warm wall, in a container moved under cover in winter. In warmer climates grow in a sheltered border. The flowers are attractive to bees. A type of fine ‘rice paper’ is made from the white pith of the stems. Contact with foliage may irritate skin.
Grow in any well drained humus rich soil in full sun or lightly shaded, sheltered from strong winds.. They are tolerant of salt winds and sandy soil but intolerant of drought or hard frost. They do best in mild climates. In order to restrict the spread of established clumps, remove suckers at the extremities.
T. papyrifer – Aaralia papyrifer – Fastsia papyrifera – T. papyriferus – This vigorous, thicket forming evergreen shrub or small tree from Southern China and Taiwan grows 15-20′ feet tall and wide. It produces 5 to 11 lobed leaves, to 20″ or more across, scaly, mid green above and felted pale green beneath, are clustered at the shoot tips. In autumn , it bears umbels ½” across, of white flowers in panicles like inflorecences, to 20″ long, followed by black rounded fruit to 1/8″ across.
Zones 6-11
