Paper mulberry

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Paper mulberry
Murier.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Moraceae
Genus: Broussonetia
Species:
B. papyrifera
Binomial name
Broussonetia papyrifera
Synonyms
  • Broussonetia elegansK.Koch [2]
  • Morus papyriferaL.
  • Papyrius papyrifera(L.) Kuntze
Hawaiian kapa, 18th century, Cook-Foster Collection at Georg-August University in Gottingen, Germany.jpg
Fijian royal tapa cloth, 19th century, Neiman Marcus Collection rotated.jpg
Left: 18th century kapa from Hawaii
Right: 19th century royal tapa from Fiji

Paper mulberry is primarily used in the Pacific Islands to make barkcloth ( tapa in most Polynesian languages). [6] [7] Barkcloth can also be made from other members of the mulberry family (Moraceae), including Ficus (figs) and Artocarpus . Barkcloth was also occasionally made from Pipturus nettles, especially in Hawaii. However, the highest quality of barkcloth was from paper mulberry. [11]

Barkcloth was mainly used for clothing among ancient Austronesians and is traditionally made using characteristic stone or wooden beaters, which are among the most common artifacts found in Austronesian archaeological sites. Numerous archaeological remains of barkcloth beaters in southern China have been regarded as evidence that the pre-Taiwan Austronesian homelands were located in the region prior to the southward expansion of the Han Dynasty, particularly around the Pearl River Delta. The oldest such remains are from the Dingmo Site in Guangxi, dated to around 7,900 BP. [12] Barkcloth remained an important source of clothing fabrics in pre-colonial Melanesia, Polynesia, and parts of Indonesia. However, it has been mostly replaced by woven fiber clothing in most of Island Southeast Asia and Micronesia. [11] It is still worn ceremonially in parts of Polynesia and Melanesia. It is also used to make bags and bedding. [4]

Although numerous names are used for paper mulberry throughout Austronesia, none are cognates, thus a Proto-Oceanic term cannot be reconstructed. In most of Polynesia, the term for barkcloth can be reconstructed from Proto-Nuclear-Polynesian *taba, meaning "bark", with cognates including Wayan taba; Tongan, Samoan, Mangareva, and Rarotongan tapa; and Hawaiian kapa. Other terms widely used for barkcloth and paper mulberry are derived from the Proto-Polynesian reconstructed word *siapo, with cognates including Niue, Tongan, and Marquesan hiapo; and Samoan and East Futunan siapo. [11] The term for barkcloth beater, however, can be reconstructed more extensively back to Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *ikay, with cognates including Uma ike; Sa'a iki; Bauan, Tongan, and East Futunan ike; and Samoan and Hawaiian iʻe. [11] [13]

In New Zealand, traditional Polynesian methods for producing barkcloth (aute) [10] were retained by early settlers, despite the tree not growing as large in temperate New Zealand. [9] Presumably the tree was used by early Māori for cloth, however by the 1770s, the primary use was to create a soft, white cloth used for fillets or in ear piercings by high-status men. [9] Barkcloth textiles disappeared from use in the early 19th century, coinciding with the tree's disappearance from New Zealand. [9] There has been however an emerging interest in reviving the ancient art by learning from the Hawaiians. [14]

Paper

Japanese washi papermaking process Japanese paper-making process; April 2008 (02).jpg
Japanese washi papermaking process

The paper mulberry was a significant fiber crop in the history of paper. Known for its durability and longevity, it continues to be used in various traditional and contemporary paper-making practices today. It has been used for papermaking in China since sometime between the 2nd and 8th century, and in Korea, the oldest existing block print in the world (c. 751 AD) is printed on hanji paper using its fibers. [15] High quality Korean Hanji and Japanese Washi are typically made from the inner bark of the paper mulberry, which is pounded and mixed with water to produce a paste, and dried into sheets. [4]

Other uses

The wood of the plant is useful for making furniture and utensils, and the roots can be used as rope. [4] The fruit and cooked leaves are edible. [4]

The fruit, leaves, and bark have been used in systems of traditional medicine. [4] For example, the bark and fruit of the species, known locally as jangli toot, are used as a laxative and antipyretic in rural Pakistan. [16]

The species is used as an ornamental plant. It tolerates disturbance and air pollution, so it has been useful as a landscaping plant on roadsides. It is a pioneer species that easily fills forest clearings, and it has been considered for reforestation efforts. [4] It grows well in many climate types. [17]

Invasive weed

The ability of the plant to readily colonize available habitat, particularly disturbed areas, has helped it become an invasive species in some regions. It spreads rapidly when male and female individuals grow together and seeds are produced. [4] Seed dispersal is accomplished by animals that eat the fruits, and the plants can form wide, dense stands via their spreading root systems. [17]

This is considered to be one of the worst weeds in Pakistan, one of the most significant invasive plants on the Pampas in Argentina, and a dominant invasive in the forests of Uganda. [17]

The pollen is allergenic. [4] It is reportedly a main culprit of inhalant allergy in Islamabad, where the species is a very common urban weed. [18] The pollen allergy and asthma caused by this plant sends thousands of patients to hospitals in Islamabad during March. The species should not be taken to other areas without due consideration of the potential of male plants to shed their injurious pollen.

See also

References

  1. Shao, Q.; Zhao, L.; Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) & IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group (2019). "Broussonetia papyrifera". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T49834580A147629611. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  2. K. Koch Dendrologie 2(2): 440 1873
  3. 1 2 Broussonetia papyrifera. Flora of North America.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Broussonetia papyrifera (paper mulberry)". Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  5. "Broussonetia papyrifera". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 Chang, Chi-Shan; Liu, Hsiao-Lei; Moncada, Ximena; Seelenfreund, Andrea; Seelenfreund, Daniela; Chung, Kuo-Fang (2015). "A holistic picture of Austronesian migrations revealed by phylogeography of Pacific paper mulberry". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 112 (44): 13537–13542. Bibcode:2015PNAS..11213537C. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1503205112 . PMC   4640734 . PMID   26438853.
  7. 1 2 3 Seelenfreund, Daniela; Clarke, Andrew C.; Oyanedel-Giaverini, Naria Factina; Piña-Muñoz, Ricardo; Lobos, Sergio; Matisoo-Smith, Lisa; Seelenfreund, A. (September 2010). "Paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera) as a commensal model for human mobility in Oceania: Anthropological, botanical and genetic considerations". New Zealand Journal of Botany. 48 (3–4): 231–247. Bibcode:2010NZJB...48..231S. doi:10.1080/0028825X.2010.520323. hdl: 10533/143279 . S2CID   83993320.
  8. González-Lorca, J.; Rivera-Hutinel, A.; Moncada, X.; Lobos, S.; Seelenfreund, D.; Seelenfreund, A. (2 April 2015). "Ancient and modern introduction of Broussonetia papyrifera ([L.] Vent.; Moraceae) into the Pacific: genetic, geographical and historical evidence". New Zealand Journal of Botany. 53 (2): 75–89. Bibcode:2015NZJB...53...75G. doi: 10.1080/0028825X.2015.1010546 . S2CID   54664583.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Neich, Roger (1996). "New Zealand Maori Barkcloth and Barkcloth Beaters". Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum . 33: 111–158. ISSN   0067-0464. JSTOR   42906461. Wikidata   Q58677501.
  10. 1 2 Chitham, Karl (2019). Crafting Aotearoa : a cultural history of making in New Zealand and the wider Moana Oceania. Kolokesa Uafā Māhina-Tuai, Damian Skinner, Rigel Sorzano. Wellington, New Zealand: Te Papa Press. p. 66. ISBN   978-0-9941362-7-5. OCLC   1118996645.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Osmond, Meredith (1998). "Horticultural practices" (PDF). In Ross, Malcolm; Pawley, Andrew; Osmond, Meredith (eds.). The lexicon of Proto Oceanic : The culture and environment of ancestral Oceanic society. Vol. 1: Material Culture. Pacific Linguistics. pp. 115–142. doi:10.15144/PL-C152.115.
  12. Li, Dawei; Wang, Wei; Tian, Feng; Liao, Wei; Bae, Christopher J. (December 2014). "The oldest bark cloth beater in southern China (Dingmo, Bubing basin, Guangxi)". Quaternary International. 354: 184–189. Bibcode:2014QuInt.354..184L. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2014.06.062.
  13. Blust, Robert & Trussel, Steve (work-in-progress). *ikay, Austronesian Comparative Dictionary, web edition.
  14. "Aute: Making Māori Tapa Cloth". New Zealand Society. Radio New Zealand. 17 November 2015.
  15. Yi, Sŭng-ch'ŏl (2012). Hanji (Ch'op'an ed.). Sŏul-si: Hyŏnamsa. ISBN   978-89-323-1619-2.
  16. Hussain, K., et al. (2008). An ethnobotanical survey of important wild medicinal plants of Hattar district Haripur, Pakistan. Ethnobotanical Leaflets 12, 29-35.
  17. 1 2 3 Morgan, E. C. and W. A. Overholt. Wildland Weeds: Paper Mulberry, Broussonetia papyrifera. ENY-702. Entomology and Nematology. Florida Cooperative Extension Service. University of Florida IFAS. Published 2004, revised 2013.
  18. Malik, R. N. and S. Z. Husain. (2007). Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) L'hér. Ex Vent.: an environmental constraint on the Himalayan foothills vegetation. Pakistan Journal of Botany 39(4), 1045-53.

Paper mulberry
Traditional Chinese 構樹
Simplified Chinese 构树
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin gòushù
IPA [kôʊ.ʂû]