The Plant
Papyrus is a tender herbaceous perennial. It grows in flooded swamps and on lake margins throughout Africa, where it is native. The tall, robust aquatic plant can grow 4 to 5 metres high. Its stems rise from thick, woody rhizomes. On the margins of high-altitude lakes the culms can measure up to 10 m. The triangular green stems form a grass-like clump. Each stem is topped by a dense cluster of thin, bright green, thread-like rays 10 to 30 cm long, resembling a feather duster when the plant is young. Greenish-brown flower clusters eventually appear at the ends of the rays and give way to brown, nut-like fruit. No leaves are apparent above the soil line; the younger parts of the rhizome are covered by red-brown, papery, triangular scales, which are technically reduced leaves. Three subspecies are accepted: subsp. madagascariensis in Madagascar, subsp. zairensis in Angola, Congo and DR Congo, and subsp. papyrus across the remainder of the range.
Habitat and Ecology
Papyrus is a C4 sedge that forms highly productive stands of a single species over large areas of wetland in Africa. It grows in waterlogged soil and in water up to 2 m deep, and prefers full sun to partly shady conditions. In deeper swamps of 1 to 2 m it is the chief constituent of the floating, tangled masses of vegetation known as sudd. In some places, such as Bangweulu, it forms floating islands on which fishermen may set up temporary camps. The flowering heads make nesting sites for many social species of birds. Pollination is by wind, and the mature fruit are distributed by water. Besides Africa, it occurs in Madagascar and in Mediterranean areas such as Sicily and the Levant, and it has been introduced to tropical regions worldwide. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Cultivation
The plant is relatively easy to grow from seed, though in Egypt it is more common to split the rootstock. It grows quite fast once established and prefers extremely moist soil or roots sunken in the water. Vegetative propagation, by splitting the rhizomes into small groups and planting them normally, is the suggested way of making new plants. It is considered hardy in USDA hardiness zones 9 and 10, and it has become invasive in Florida. It is now often cultivated as an ornamental plant.
Uses of the Plant
Parts of the plant can be eaten, and the highly buoyant stems can be made into boats. The pith of young shoots was eaten both cooked and raw. The flowering heads were linked to make garlands for the gods. Sails, mats, cloth and cordage were also made from the stems. Traditionally the plant has been used to make fences, roofs and mats, as well as fiberboard and briquettes.
Chemistry
The lipid composition of papyrus tubers and the essential oils of its aerial parts have been reported. The stems contain lipophilic extractives, 4.1% in the rind and 4.9% in the pith. Among the steroids of the stems, free sterols are the most abundant class, at 3080 mg/kg in the rind and 5420 mg/kg in the pith. Sitosterol is the most prominent free sterol, at 1720 mg/kg in the rind and 2280 mg/kg in the pith. The most abundant steroid hydrocarbon in both parts is stigmasta-3,5,22-triene, at 430 mg/kg in the rind and 340 mg/kg in the pith. Esters of campesterol, stigmasterol and sitosterol were also identified in both parts of the stem. The aerial net primary production of papyrus can reach 136.4 t of dry matter per hectare per year, and researchers consider it a potential raw material for biorefineries.
Name and Etymology
The English word papyrus derives, via Latin, from Greek papyros, a loanword of unknown, perhaps Pre-Greek, origin. Greek has a second word, byblos, said to derive from the name of the Phoenician city of Byblos. Theophrastus used papyros for the plant as a foodstuff and byblos for the same plant when used for nonfood products such as cordage, basketry or writing surfaces. The more specific Greek term biblos, which gives English words such as bibliography, bibliophile and bible, refers to the inner bark of the plant. In the Egyptian language the plant was called wadj, tjufy or djet.
Related Materials
Cyperus scariosus is a different sedge of the same genus, a perennial herbaceous plant from Australia and New Guinea. Cypriol, also called nagarmotha oil, is an essential oil distilled from the roots of Cyperus scariosus, not from papyrus. Its aroma is described as woody, earthy, dry, spicy, patchouli and vetiver.
