![]() ![]() “I’m hesitant to suggest that no one else ever used this technology throughout the Roman Empire,” said Price. “This would suggest that when Egypt was under Roman control, the Egyptians were supplying the entire Roman empire with these goods.”Įventually, papyrus was replaced by parchment (animal skin), but the ancient process was reinvented in the 1960s for the tourist trade in Egypt. “Most scholars agree the manufacturing of papyrus was a technology belonging to the ancient Egyptians,” said Robyn Price, a PhD candidate in the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA, who helped facilitate the Getty workshop. Papyrus grew on the banks of the Nile, and the resulting paper was exported across ancient Egypt, all the way into ancient Rome. “This allows you to slow down and think about the evolution from nature to the thing that ancient Romans would write on.” “When you learn how labor-intensive this is, you appreciate it more,” said Hogan. She had chosen several tall stalks from the Getty Villa gardens and was now slicing them into thin flat reeds to be soaked, and ultimately pounded, and pressed into paper. She was preparing the plant for an upcoming workshop on the topic. Re-pot the new plants and grow them as usual.Making paper from papyrus today gives us a way of understanding the ancient world, said Chelsea Hogan, a Getty public programs specialist. Cut apart the papyrus rhizomes into groups of two or three. Wait until the danger of frost has passed and un-pot or dig up the plant. You can grow and share your papyrus plant through division in spring. In the correct zones with light and moist conditions, care of papyrus plant is easy for even a novice gardener. Papyrus grass has no damaging pests or diseases except rust fungus, which will discolor the stems and foliage. You can give it a balanced fertilizer in spring to support the growth of the huge stems. Pruning is not necessary except to remove errant or broken stems. Mulching in zone 8 can help protect the tender roots but the foliage will likely die back in winter. Papyrus need little extra care to thrive, provided it is kept moist. Even in their native conditions, the plant does not easily spread by seed. Papyrus seeds do not readily germinate and can take a month or more to sprout. ![]() The plant needs to be kept moist, if not submerged. It can also be planted directly into 3 feet (1 m.) of muddy substrate to hold the heavy stems upright. Papyrus is usually planted by rhizomes in moist, fertile soil in pots and then submerged in an aquatic environment. It prefers full sun but can also be raised in partial shade. Papyrus has no frost tolerance and should be moved indoors for the winter. The stems are rigid and triangular and have a white pith inside. Papyrus can grow up to 10 feet (3 m.) tall from rhizomes. These sprays of foliage radiate out like the spokes in an umbrella. The plant is called umbrella plant because it has a grass-like habit with sprays of foliage at the top of the stems. Papyrus plant is suitable for USDA plant hardiness zones 8 to 10 and requires a full sun location, in shallow water or riparian areas. Umbrella plant or bulrush are other names for the plant. What is papyrus? It is a plant in the genus Cyperus, which is native to Madagascar. There are numerous names for papyrus grass. This fast growing plant would be an excellent addition to a water garden or naturalized bog area. In most zones, papyrus is an annual or half-hardy perennial. You can grow papyrus from seed or division. The plant is considered a sedge and favors moist, warm environments. Papyrus grass is in a genus of over 600 different plants from around the world. ![]() Papyrus plants were used as paper, woven goods, food, and fragrance. Papyrus was one of the most important plants in ancient civilized Egypt. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |