Cyperus papyrus pair well with Palmiet, Kniphofia and Arum lilies.Water-loving plants, plant in muddy soil on fringes of ponds and dams.Feature plant – with attractive feathery heads.They can also be planted in large garden ponds with regular maintenance as they spread and form large clumps. Growing large, up to 5 metres in height, Cyperus papyrus is suitable for medium to large dams.Playing an important role in in wetland ecosystems – cleaning of water and providing homes for many bird species.

There are 400 papyrus species in South Africa alone. Growing up to 5 metres in height Cyperus papyrus in South AfricaĬyperus papyrus occurs naturally in Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Kwazulu Natal. Stems can be cut back in early spring for fast growing new shoots. That way, secret messages being transported over long distances remained secret no matter what.Growing best in full sun to partial shade. If anyone tried to break the key to get to the papyrus it would be destroyed by a vile full of vinegar designed to break if tampered with. So Da Vinci used that little piece of information to create these keys (which were central to the Da Vinci Code’s whole story) where a secret message was put on a sheet of papyrus and enclosed inside of this device. Apparently, it was a commonly used type of paper-like material but it was also easily destroyed. I never really understood what papyrus was until I read about it in The Da Vinci Code. The son was very pleased with the 'ancient paper' that he made. It may even bloom for you, bearing small spiky green flowers in a rosette around the top of its leaves. They put paper over the papyrus and used clamps to press out the moisture, and let it dry. The extra humidity and natural rainfall are welcomed, although it adapts very well indoors.

Then they laid the strips out criss-cross, putting the strips as close together as possible. They cut some thick stalks, peeled off the outer green part, and cut into thin strips. The mother had a papyrus plant growing in the backyard, so they decided to go ahead. His mom decided to help him do some research on how to make papyrus paper. He had been studying Egypt in school and became interested in papyrus paper. I'll have to do some research to find out more about the history of papyrus paper.Ī young mother in my neighborhood told me about a project she did with her 10 year old son. Probably, it was the task of making the papyrus smooth enough to provide a nice writing surface that took some experimentation. They must have been making mats out of plant stocks for a long time. With the only material for writing (stone, clay and wax) being so difficult to store and transport, it was probably a case of 'necessity is the mother of invention.' I would guess that the procedure may have been fairly easy. I wonder how much trial and error the Egyptian inventive mind went through to come up with the idea of making a thin paper to write on. I've noticed that restaurants use a type of paper that also looks distressed, seemingly to add character to their menus. The font has a flourish and 'distressed' look to it. It must come from what print looked like on this type of paper. I had always loved the font entitled papyrus, but I never knew where the name came from. I've also used papyrus style paper for my resumes, to add some distinction to it! Stationary stores may carry papyrus stationery. I agree, this type of paper does add character to a note or menu. July 14, - The paper that looks like papyrus is actually called just that, papyrus stationery! I love its look and feel.

Growing papyrus