Tetrapanax paypyrifer

Tetrapanax papyrifer is known as rice paper plant or tong cao (通草). It is a bold and stately subtropical shrubby or tree-like member of the aralia or ivy family with large, felted leaves up to 2-3 feet across on woody stems up to 10 or more feet tall. It has proven easily hardy in coastal BC. If mulched, it will usually prove ground hardy in zone 7 with stems dying back to the ground in winter and emerging fresh in spring. If kept in a greenhouse with some heat, plants can remain evergreen through the winter. Plants spread by underground rhizomes which can emerge some distance from the mother plant. Sprays of white flowers emerge in fall and are popular with bees.