Quackin Grass Nursery

Tetrapanax (syn. Aralia) papyrifera (a.k.a. papyrifer) (ex: Carol Hanby) - Huge, bold and fleshy palmate leaves in light dull gray-green are covered with silvery buff fur with all stems and petioles completely hirsute - very soft to the touch. Its small, stellate white flowers are packed onto rounded umbels no larger than one-inch (if I translated the conversion correctly) - ours have been closer to five-eighths to three-quarters of an inch; these are also tomentose. The showy flowering event is a collection of these umbels on stalked stems up to 20 inches long in the late season. Round fruits mature dark purple and, I imagine, very attractive studding the silver-buff hairs... we have note yet seen them (sad emoji here.) The Chinese Rice Paper Plant is stoloniferous, wanting to colonize damp ground where it can be grown outdoors. It will make a glorious potted plant in the north. Site in sun or open shade. Even moisture is important though in a container in shade be certain to let it go "dryish" between waterings - and never let it set in a catch tray of water, at least not for long! Although some sites indicate a USDA zone 8 to 10, perhaps 11 hardiness rating, Fine Gardening tells us its hardy as cold as zone 6. In zones 6 and 7 it will behave as an herbaceous perennial... Fine Gardening's ratings are generally accurate. Certainly, if planted outdoors at the northern end of the range its soil should be drier than if planted down south. Be certain to mulch before severe cold overtakes. Nativity is Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands. Established potted Tetrapanax papyrifera grown from offset.