What Is It?

BLICKWINKEL / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

1. Poppy
2. Lotus
3. Rose of Sharon
4. Flax
5. Papyrus

Answer: 5 Papyrus

These are the blossoms of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, a type of wetland grass best known for its use as a writing material. The oldest known texts on papyrus date to the middle of the third millennium BCE, although it likely was in use several hundred years earlier.

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK / ROGERS FUND, 1930

To convert the plant to a writing surface, the inner pith from the papyrus stalks was sliced into thin strips. These were laid out side by side and slightly overlapping, and a second layer was laid on top in perpendicular orientation. The resulting sheet was then hammered flat, pressed, dried, and polished with a stone or other smooth object.

Papyrus was cheap and easy to produce, but it also was brittle and susceptible to the elements, including both dampness and excessive dryness. It did not attain widespread use outside of Egypt, and eventually it was superseded by other writing materials, such as parchment, vellum, and, later, paper.