Daphne papyracea

Daphne papyracea is a shrub, of the family Thymelaeaceae. It is evergreen, and is found across Asia, from Pakistan through central Nepal to China. Generally it is found at elevations from 700 to 3,100 metres (2,300 to 10,200 ft).^[2]

Daphne papyracea
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malvales
Family:	Thymelaeaceae
Genus:	Daphne
Species:	D. papyracea
Binomial name
Daphne papyracea Wall. ex G.Don[1]
Synonyms[1]
Daphne cannabina Wall., nom. illeg.

Description

The shrub grows to be up to 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) tall.^[3]

Varieties and subspecies

As of October 2025^[update], Plants of the World Online accepted the following varieties:^[1]

• Daphne papyracea var. crassiuscula Rehder
• Daphne papyracea var. duclouxii Lecomte
• Daphne papyracea var. grandiflora (Meisn. ex Diels) C.Yung Chang
• Daphne papyracea var. papyracea
• Daphne papyracea var. ptilostykla C.Y.Chang

In 1997 and 2000, Josef Halda reduced some species of Daphne to subspecies of Daphne papyracea.^[4][5] No subspecies are accepted by Plants of the World Online or the online Flora of China.^[1][3]

Usage for paper

It is mentioned as a "paper shrub" by an English botanist in 1818.^[6] It is known as the main source of raw material for the production of lokta paper, a hand-made paper from Nepal.^[7]