About Aphananthe aspera (Thunb.) Planch.
Aphananthe aspera, commonly called scabrous aphananthe or muku tree, is a flowering plant that belongs to the Cannabaceae family. It naturally grows on slopes and along stream banks at elevations between 100 and 1600 meters, and it is native to China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. This species has multiple uses: it is grown as an ornamental plant in Chinese classical gardens, it provides usable fibre and wood, and it has been used to make paper. Leaves collected in autumn from this plant are used as a fine sandpaper to polish wood and similar materials. Based on available referenced sources, it remains unclear whether the sandpaper-like effectiveness of these leaves comes from their natural roughness, or from abrasive phytoliths contained within the leaves.
