Rice Paper Plant is a showy, sub-tropical, evergreen large shrub or small tree native to Taiwan that is used as an ornamental shrub in Asia. It is frost sensitive above USDA plant zone 8b, but will re-emerge in spring. In warmer zones, it will remain evergreen year-round. It makes a lush exotic background for borders and screening. The smaller cultivar 'Rex' works well in containers. Many small flowers on a long panicle bloom in fall are followed by small dark fruits. Accepts a wide range of soil conditions, but does spread by underground rhizomes which will need to be cut and removed to limit this plant's spread. Problems : Spreads by suckers, leaves can be damaged by a strong wind, mealy-bugs only known insect problem
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) | Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Wet
Available space
6-feet-12 feet
NC region
Coastal
Mature size
Height: 4 ft. 0 in. - 12 ft. 0 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 8 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Multi-stemmed; Rounded
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen
Leaf color
Gray/Silver; Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Palmasect
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf feel
Smooth
Leaf value
Long-lasting; Showy
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, > 6 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
10-15 inches wide gray-green showy lobed leaves with hairs on the undersides and serrated margins. Leaves have 5-14 lobes. The deeply-lobed leaves cluster at the top of the trunk on long petioles.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Panicle
Flower shape
Saucer
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Many creamy yellow-white flowers are borne on large, loose panicles up to 3 feet long
Bloom time
Fall
Fruit color
Black
Fruit type
Drupe
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Round drupe
Stem color
Brown/Copper
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Central & S. China, Taiwan
Wildlife value
Pollen plant for bees
Attracts
Bees
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Stems
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Drupe
Edibility
Stems are used to make rice paper. Rice paper can be used to wrap foods and can be eaten with the food.
Uses (ethnobotany)
Historically used to make rice paper veneer sheets, artificial paper flowers, and in traditional Chinese pharmacology for the medicine "tong cao".