This species is native to Taiwan and southeast China, growing in subtropical forests, where it tends to form very dense copses.
It is cultivated as an ornamental species in other parts of the world, prized for its attractive foliage and the decorative value it can add to a garden.
It is a fast-growing plant, which tends to produce underground stolons that emerge in other parts of the garden, so it is advisable to calculate well where it is planted so that it does not end up taking the place of other species.
It is easy to grow, as it adapts to almost any type of soil, and grows in full sun or semi-shade.
This plant is mainly known as the source of raw material for the production of the so-called Chinese rice paper, which is famous for being the best support for calligraphy and watercolour, but is also used, after dyeing, to make lamps, lampshades and artificial flowers.
To obtain this special type of paper, the branches are boiled after the bark has been cleaned off, then the cylindrical core of the pith is rolled against a knife on a hard, flat surface, rolled into thin sheets of ivory-like texture, from which rice paper is made.
In traditional medicine it is used as a remedy to treat rheumatism, lumbago, and to promote blood circulation.
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