Mitsumata (Oriental paperbush), Japan

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Mitsumata blossoms

These flowering buds are beautiful in their natural state, but the mitsumata shrub (Edgeworthia chrysantha) has so much more to offer. Originally brought from China to Japan by monks, the green plant is now a staple of Japanese papermaking and one of three main ingredients used for washi (traditional Japanese paper), which is why it is also known as the Oriental paperbush. Mitsumata washi is dense and holds ink well – it’s a favourite of artists and calligraphers – and sheets of mitsumata paper are also used in traditional shoji screens.

Its versatility and strength made mitsumata a natural candidate for Japanese banknotes. The dense, short fibre from the inner layer of bark helps create sturdy currency that can withstand millions of hands and transactions. Mitsumata made its Japanese banknote debut in 1879, and it’s still used in currency there today.