Rice paper (paper)

Paper made from thin layers of pith cut from two species of rice paper trees cultivated in China, Japan, and Thailand. The pith is cut in spirals to form long ribbons, the exposed cellular structure of the pith giving the paper a unique spongy structure. Rice paper is stretchy when wet and brittle when dry; it will crack when heated and is easily damaged by abrasion. Among other uses, rice paper was used for 19th-century Chinese watercolor paintings and artificial flowers. For handmade paper having long fibers from the paper mulberry, gampi, or mitsumata plant, use "Japanese paper." For soft, fine-textured paper of bamboo fiber originating in China, use "China paper."