Plant: paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera) 構樹

While walking in Taiwan, I noticed some charming orange-red, ball-shaped fruits growing by the roadside. Curious, I looked them up when I got home and discovered they were Paper Mulberries. This plant has several fascinating common names (these are my own translations from a Chinese website, so they may not be official): “Banknotes Tree,” because its bark can be used to make paper and even print currency; “Dang Dang Tree,” named for the fruits that resemble jingle bells; and “Deer Tree,” since its tender leaves are a favorite food for deer. Don’t be fooled by its modest appearance—this plant is full of uses. Ancient Austronesians used its bark to make tapa cloth for clothing. The same bark can also be turned into paper, banknotes, or rope. Its wood is suitable for furniture and household utensils. The fruit is edible and can also be made into jam. The leaves can be brewed into tea or used as animal feed. In traditional medicine, various parts of the plant are believed to have healing properties. Thanks to its rapid growth and strong reproductive abilities, the Paper Mulberry is valued for landscaping and reforestation. However, these same traits have led to it being considered invasive in some regions.
在台灣散步時,我注意到路邊長著一些很可愛橘紅色球狀果實的植物。出於好奇,回家後查了一下,發現它們是構樹。這種植物有幾個有趣的俗名:“鈔票樹”,因為它的樹皮可以用來造紙,甚至印鈔;“噹噹樹”,因其果實形似鈴鐺而得名;還有“鹿仔樹”,因為它的嫩葉是鹿最喜歡的食物。別小看這不起眼的植物——這種植物用途廣泛,它全身上下都是寶。古代南島人用它的樹皮來製作樹皮布(tapa)來做衣服。同樣的樹皮也可以製成紙張、紙鈔或繩索。它的木材適合製作家具和家用器皿。果實可食用,也可以製成果醬。葉子可以泡茶或用作動物飼料。在傳統醫學中,人們認為這種植物的多個部位都具有治療功效。構樹生長迅速、繁殖力強,在景觀美化和重新造林方面具有很高的價值。然而,這些特性也導致它在某些地區被視為入侵物種。

Photo Date: 2022.06 Location: Taiwan

Notes 筆記

  • The paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera, syn. Morus papyrifera L.) is a species in the family Moraceae. It is native to Asia, where its range includes Taiwan, China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, Burma, and India.
  • Other common names include tapa cloth tree. (Note: the following common names coming from Chinese website so the translations may not be official. ) Banknotes tree (due to high quality of fiber, it can be used to print banknotes), Dang dang tree (because of the ball-shaped fruits looking like jingle bells), Deer tree (the tender leaf can feed deer).
  • Paper mulberry was used among ancient Austronesians in making bark cloth. It originates from subtropical regions in mainland Asia and is one of the best examples for the mainstream “Out of Taiwan” hypothesis of the Austronesian expansion.
  • Paper mulberry is a deciduous shrub or tree. The leaves are variable in shape, even on one individual. The blades may be lobed or unlobed, but they usually have toothed edges, lightly hairy, pale undersides, and a rough texture. It has male and female flowers on separate plants. The staminate inflorescence is a catkin up to 3.1 in with fuzzy male flowers. The pistillate inflorescence is a spherical head up to about 0.79 in wide with greenish female flowers trailing long styles. The infructescence is a spherical cluster containing many red or orange fruits. Sweet and juicy like a strawberry when ripe, it often attracts birds, insects, and butterflies to feed. Each individual protruding fruit in the cluster is a drupe.
  • Paper mulberry has been cultivated in Asia and some Pacific Islands for many centuries for food, fiber, and medicine.
  • It is primarily used in the Pacific Islands to make barkcloth. Barkcloth was mainly used for clothing among ancient Austronesians.
  • It is a significant fiber crop in the history of paper. It was used for papermaking in China starting some time between the 2nd and 8th century. Washi, a Japanese handcrafted paper, and hanji, a Korean paper, are products of the bark of Paper mulberry.
  • The wood of the plant is useful for making furniture and utensils, and the roots can be used as rope. The fruit and cooked leaves are edible. The fruit, leaves, and bark have been used in systems of traditional medicine. 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 easily fills forest clearings, and it has been considered for reforestation efforts. It grows well in many climate types.
  • The ability of the plant to readily colonize available habitat has helped it become an invasive species in some regions.
  • 構樹是桑科的一種。 它原產於亞洲,包括台灣、中國、日本、韓國、東南亞、緬甸和印度。
  • 其他俗名包括塔帕布樹、楮樹、榖樹、鈔票樹(樹皮含有很高的纖維質可用來造紙,因為質地優良可用於印製鈔票)、奶樹、噹噹樹 (圓形的果實像叮噹般掛滿整棵樹)、紙木 ,在臺灣又俗稱鹿仔樹(農業時期養鹿人家,採下嫩葉來餵鹿)。
  • 古代南島人使用構樹製作樹皮布。它起源於亞洲大陸的亞熱帶地區,是南島擴張主流“走出台灣”假說的最佳例證之一。
  • 構樹是落葉灌木或喬木。葉子的形狀各不相同,即使在同一棵樹上也是如此。 葉片可能有裂片或無裂片,但它們通常有鋸齒狀的邊緣、輕微的毛、灰白的底面和粗糙的紋理。雌雄異株。雄蕊花序是長達 3.1 英寸的柔荑花序,有著毛茸茸的雄花。 雌蕊花序是一個球形頭狀花序,寬約0.79 英寸,帶有綠色雌花尾隨長花柱。 果序是球形簇,有許多紅色或橙色的果實,成熟時像草苺般甜美多汁,常吸引鳥類、昆蟲、蝴蝶前來覓食。每個突出的果實都是核果。
  • 幾個世紀以來,亞洲和一些太平洋島嶼一直在種植構樹作為食物、纖維和藥物。
  • 它主要用於太平洋島嶼製作樹皮布。樹皮布主要用於古代南島人的服裝。
  • 它是造紙史上重要的纖維作物。 從 2 世紀到 8 世紀,它開始在中國用於造紙(漢皮紙/桑皮紙)。日本的和紙和韓國的紙也都是用構樹製成的。
  • 它的木材可用於製作家具和器皿。根部可用作繩索。果實和熟葉均可食用。果實、葉子和樹皮已用於傳統醫學系統中。它可被用作觀賞植物。它可以容忍干擾和空氣污染,因此可當作路邊的景觀植物。它很容易填滿森林空地,並被考慮用於重新造林。它適於生長於多種氣候類型中。
  • 這種植物很容易在可用棲息地繁殖的能力使它成為某些地區的入侵物種。

References 參考資料

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