Plants You Can Use to Make Paper

Papermaking from Garden and Wild Plants

Don't overlook free fiber sources: corn husks, hosta and iris leaves from yard work, plus a nature walk can yield all you need. Different plants require different processing.

Fiber Categories

Woody Bast Fibers (Inner Bark of Woody Stems)

Strong paper. Requires steaming, stripping, rinsing, drying. Sources: paper birch, blackberry/raspberry/dewberry vines, elm, fig, hazel, hibiscus, juniper, mulberry, linden, willow. Collect 6 ft of ½–1 in diameter branches for 1 lb paper.

Herbaceous Bast Fibers (Inner Stems of Non-Woody Perennials)

Similar processing. Includes: flax, hollyhock, jute, milkweed, stinging nettle, thistle, tobacco.

Petiole Bast Fibers (Leaf Stalk Inner Fiber)

Heavy scraping needed. Some banana plants and palms.

Leaf Fibers

Hard-to-tear leaves yield strong paper. Cut spring (green paper) or fall (brown). Most just need drying. Sources: agave, canna lily, cattail leaves, daffodil, hosta, iris, pineapple, raffia, sisal hemp, yucca. Yucca/sisal need extensive processing.

Grass Fibers

Most process easily; bamboo needs shredding. Good choices: cattail stalks, corn husks, crab grass, Joe-pye weed, ornamental grasses, mugwort, rush, wheat straw. 1 lb dried → ~10 small sheets.

Seed Fibers and Others

Fluffy seed heads: cotton, milkweed, thistle. Need many plants. Seaweed (where available) needs little processing.

Tip

Experiment with blends. Keep notes on processing and results.