Edgeworthia chrysantha
Introduction '''''Edgeworthia chrysantha''''' (common names: '''Oriental paperbush''', '''mitsumata''') is a plant in the family Thymelaeaceae.
Etymology The genus was named in honour of Michael Pakenham Edgeworth (1812–1881), an Irish-born Victorian era amateur botanist, who worked for the East India Company, and for his sister, writer Maria Edgeworth. The Latin specific epithet ''chrysantha'' is in reference to the plant's yellow flowers.
Description ''Edgeworthia chrysantha'' is a deciduous shrub with dark green, leathery, single, alternate, lanceolate leaves,  long. It can reach a height of . Flowers are yellow, have a sweet scent, and in clusters at the branch tips. The flowering period extends from February to April.
Distribution and habitat This species is native to Myanmar and south-central and southeast China. It is naturalized in Japan. It grows in forests and shrubby slopes.
Use The bark fibres of these plants are used for making the handmade Japanese tissue called "mitsumata paper". Along with ''kōzo'' and gampi, it is used for making traditional Japanese paper (washi). Among other applications, mitsumata is used for banknotes as the paper is very durable. In China, flowers, roots and bark are used in traditional medicine. In Korea, the handmade paper is called " hanji" or Korean paper.
Gallery File:Edgeworthiachrysantha.JPG|''Edgeworthia chrysantha'' in flower, Imperial Palace gardens, TokyoFile:Edgeworthia chrysantha 01.JPG|Close-up on flowers of ''Edgeworthia chrysantha'', in Donglin Temple (Jiangxi), Jiujiang, ChinaFile:Paper Bush Edgworthia chrysantha Plant 3008px.jpg |Leaves of ''Edgeworthia chrysantha''File:Edgeworthia chrysantha var. grandiflora family Thymelaceae young bark.jpg|Attractive young bark of ''Edgeworthia chrysantha'' var. ''grandiflora''
References
External links * Worldpress