RICE-PAPER-PLANT. 137 



some way or other into its composition. This, however, is 

 an erroneous impression. Rice-paper is prepared, or rather 

 simply cut out of the stem of an herbaceous plant, to which 

 Roxburgh gave the name above mentioned. The portions 

 of the stem which we have seen are several inches in length, 

 and from half an inch to above one inch in diameter, and 

 entirely composed, to the very centre, of a fine white cellu- 

 lar tissue, marked in a transverse section with two or three 

 delicate concentric circles, resembling those in thfe woody 

 structure of dicotyledonous plants. In order, therefore, to 

 procure a sheet of this substance, it is necessary to cut it 

 in a circular manner, unrolling it, as it were, like a scroll. 

 We learn from an account published by Dr. Hooker,* that 

 rice-paper was first brought to this country from China, 

 about twenty-five years ago, by Dr. Livingstone. The 

 Chinese die it of various colours, and employ it chiefly in 

 the manufacture of their artificial flowers. Formerly, the 

 size of each piece was about four inches square, but they 

 may now be had upwards of a foot in length and five inches 

 in breadth. This curious vegetable is not, however, con- 

 fined to China. " It grows," says General Hardwicke, in 

 a communication to Dr. Hooker, " abundantly in the marshy 

 plains of Bengal, and on the borders of jedls or extensive 

 lakes in every province between Calcutta and Hurdwar. 

 The plant is perennial, of straggling low growth, and sel- 

 dom exceeds a diameter of two inches and a half in the 

 stem. It is brought to the Calcutta bazaars in great quan- 

 tities in a green state ; and the thickest stems are cut into 

 laminae, from which the natives form artificial flowers and 

 various fancy ornaments to decorate their shrines at Hindoo 

 festivals. The Indians make hats of rice-paper, by ce- 

 menting together as many leaves as will produce the requi- 

 site thickness ; in this way any kind of shape may be formed ; 

 and when covered with silk or cloth, the hats are strong and 

 inconceivably light. It is an article of great use to fisher- 

 men ; it forms floats of the best description to their exten- 

 sive nets. The slender stems of the plant are bundled into 

 fascines about three feet long ; and with one of these under 

 his arm does every fisherman go out to his daily occupation. 

 With his net on his shoulders he proceeds to work without 



* Botanical Miscellany, vol. i. 



