Rice paper
The substance known as
rice paper in Europe due to the mistaken notion that it is made from
rice consists of the
pith of a small
tree, Aralia papyrifera, which grows in the swampy forests of
Taiwan. The cylindrical core of pith is rolled on a hard flat surface against a knife, by which it is cut into thin sheets of a fine
ivory-like texture. Dyed in various colors, rice paper is extensively used for the preparation of artificial
flowers, while the white sheets are employed by native artists for
watercolor drawings.
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