Tetrapanax grows between 3–7 metres tall, with usually unbranched stems 2–9 cm in diameter, and bearing a rosette of large leaves atop the crown; the top of the plant can visually, albeit superficially, appear similar to a number of plants belonging to Arecaceae (the palm family). The leaves are carried on 40–60 cm petioles; the orbicular leaf blade measures from 50 to 75 cm across (to a metre across in some cultivars[8]), with anywhere from 5-12 deeply incised palmate lobes, the central lobes being larger and Y-forked near the end. It spreads extensively, by sprouts and runners from the root system, underground. The inflorescence is a large panicle of hemispherical or globular umbels, at the end of the stem. The flowers have 4-6 small, white petals. The fruit is a small berry 4 mm in diameter.[6]
Tetrapanax papyrifer is used in traditional Chinese medicine. The pith from the stem is used to make a substance commonly known as rice paper,[6] but more properly termed pith paper.
The cultivar 'Rex' is a semi-evergreen shrub or tree with huge palmate leaves up to a metre diameter. Classified by the Royal Horticultural Society as H4, it is evergreen in mild locations, deciduous where temperatures fall below freezing, and herbaceous with more prolonged freezing. It prefers a sheltered position in full sun or partial shade.[8]
^Qibai Xiang & Porter P. Lowry. "Tetrapanax". Flora of China. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
^George W. Staples and Derral R. Herbst. 2005. "A Tropical Garden Flora". Bishop Museum Press: Honolulu, HI, USA.
^USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Tetrapanax papyrifer". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
^ abcQibai Xiang & Porter P. Lowry. "Tetrapanax papyrifer". Flora of China. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
^Qibai Xiang & Porter P. Lowry. "Merrilliopanax alpinus". Flora of China. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
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