The technical term of a bamboo/rattan product generally used to
manufacture coaters in Southern China and is referred to as 'shiny
straw'.

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Request for Question Clarification by aceresearcher-ga on 07 Nov 2002 17:41 PST

gollie,

Are you looking for the term for a coating which is applied to bamboo
and rattan products, which makes it look shiny? Or are you asking for
something else?

aceresearcher

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Request for Question Clarification by czh-ga on 07 Nov 2002 18:32 PST

Hi gollie-ga,
Could you please rephrase your question to help me understand what
you’re looking for? Are you saying that there is a technical term for
coating the bamboo/rattan used in making “shiny straw” products? Or
are “coaters” something that is manufactured from bamboo/rattan?
Thanks.
czh

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Clarification of Question by gollie-ga on 07 Nov 2002 21:06 PST

Not looking for the coating name. This is a natural wood in its
natural stage, like a thin bamboo or thin willow bark.

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Request for Question Clarification by aceresearcher-ga on 07 Nov 2002 23:03 PST

gollie,

Please pardon my ignorance. What is a "coater"?

Thanks,
aceresearcher

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Clarification of Question by gollie-ga on 08 Nov 2002 00:05 PST

Sorry, typo error, it's supposed to be coasters.

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Request for Question Clarification by feilong-ga on 08 Nov 2002 01:43 PST

I'm from Asia and I have an idea of what you're looking for. I would
like to clarify though if what you want is the technical term for the
bamboo/rattan/shiny straw coaster product or the technical term for
bamboo/rattan/shiny straw itself. Also, please be clear on your term
"technical" -- do you mean scientific term for bamboo/rattan/shiny
straw product (if there is one) or the scientific term for
bamboo/rattan/shiny straw? Thanks.

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Clarification of Question by gollie-ga on 08 Nov 2002 03:07 PST

Yes, scientific term for the bamboo/rattan/shiny straw itself. The
scientific term is needed by the US Customs to import the product into
US.

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Request for Question Clarification by feilong-ga on 09 Nov 2002 02:21 PST

Dear gollie-ga

Final clarification: are you sure it is bamboo or rattan? I'm familiar
with the material you are referring to because a lot of exported
native handicrafts are also made here in my country, the Philippines.
The "shiny straw" you are referring to is not made of bamboo or
rattan. It actually comes from wheat or barley. It only looks similar
to bamboo. "Shiny straw" cannot be a bamboo or rattan product because
of it's rigidity. If you can verify what the material is made of that
you said is used in coasters, I may be able to provide you with the
scientific term that you are looking for.

Besides, bamboo is not suitable to be used in coasters even when you
apply varnish on it. It is always prone to fungal decay and termites.
Kindly verify please.

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Clarification of Question by gollie-ga on 09 Nov 2002 20:24 PST

Hi Feilong

Thanks for your reply which we find helpful and would like to provide
you with best information we have, with the only suggestion we have on
enabling you to give us the correct scientific name:
a) We are not sure of the wood or straw type used on the coaster. Our
supplier purchased it through a wholesaler in Shanghai, who in term
purchased it directly from the wood factory in Guangdong (South
China). The wholesaler won't reveal the name of the wood factory.
b) We have samples here. It is 4x4" linen coaster, with the front
using the wood over a 3x3" area. The back and the boarders of the
coaster is linen fabric.

We would like to send you our sample, so that you can review and we
are quite sure on viewing the wood type, you would be able to provide
the scientific name. Please advise a forwarding address so that we can
send the sample to you.

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Request for Question Clarification by feilong-ga on 10 Nov 2002 09:27 PST

Ooops. Sorry. Big mistake. I pressed the wrong button in reply to your
clarification. Just read the comment below -- that is my actual reply.

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Clarification of Question by gollie-ga on 10 Nov 2002 23:50 PST

Hi Feilong

Thanks for your response.

Please go to www.angelfire.com/weird2/gollie/images/index and you will
find all the picture which show the natural (straw?) which I have
pulled apart from the way they were weaved together in order to give
you a closer look at the straw.

Please note our supplier in Shanghai come back to us and said this is
STRAW
PRODUCT, and has straw product HS# 46021020.    Although I pass this
info to US customs official, they still need the scientific name of
the plant and what processing, if any, has been done to the straw.

Thank you and look forward to your reply.

Indeed, a picture speaks a thousand words. In your case it was six
thousand to be exact (you gave 6). Like I said in my misplaced request
for clarification, all the data you can provide will be helpful. I
found what you are looking for. However, rather than just give you a
quick and boring answer, I would like to take the liberty to share to
you how I got it. This will make it entertaining and educational on
your part so that you will be more adept in searching the web and
other sources for information.

After seeing the pictures, at first I thought it was of a similar
material indigenous in the Philippines. But gut feeling told me to
look for more clues, especially from your reply. The second part of
your paragraph is the key that unlocked the answer. Your emphasis that
it is a straw product easily took out my previous first thought from
the search equation because what I had in mind is a fiber and not a
straw. I simply searched for “46021020” using Google web search and
came out with 23 of about 27 results. One by one I searched the links
until I came upon “ http://www.thedti.gov.za/econdb/raportt/HsATar46.html
“, which is a table for the “Manufacturers of Straw, of Esparto, or of
Other Plaiting Materials; Basketware and Wickerwork.” Beside the
searched number I saw “OTHER ARTICLES OF BAMBOO, RATTAN OR OSIER.”
From the pictures you’ve given I’m 100% sure that it is neither bamboo
(too thin to be one) nor rattan (rattan doesn’t have hollow pith) so
it was very easy to assume that “osier” (pronounced OH zhuhr) is the
exact material.

I verified the word through my dictionary and found out that it is a
shoot of any of several willows “with tough pliant branches used in
basketwork, esp. Salix viminalis.” It has long narrow leaves that are
silky on the underside.

So is it Salix viminalis?

To further confirm I also consulted the World Book 2002 Encyclopedia
CD where I found the following clues:
“The common osier, also called basket willow….” and “Osiers belong to
the willow family, Salicaceae.  The common osier is Salix viminalis.”

Excerpted from World Book 2002 (Deluxe), World Book, Inc., copyright
2001

Since the source is reliable, and the fact that the common osier is
called “basket willow” with the scientific name of Salix viminalis, I
therefore conclude that IT IS Salix viminalis. So as to absolutely
remove any remaining doubt, you can ask your supplier regarding this.


Search Strategy:

“46021020” (taken from your reply) using Google web search
Dictionary and encyclopedia search - “osier”


Finally, you can now go to the US Customs and file your papers. I had
a good time researching this one and enjoyed every bit of it. I wish
you the best and I hope your business will prosper. Thank you very
much!

Sincerely,
Feilong-ga

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Request for Answer Clarification by gollie-ga on 11 Nov 2002 20:26 PST

We really really appreciate your help! Have submitted the name and now
awaits feedback. Will get back to you ASAP - thanks again.

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Clarification of Answer by feilong-ga on 11 Nov 2002 20:59 PST

You don't need to thank me. As I said, I had fun doing the research
for you. It's my pleasure to help you.

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Clarification of Answer by feilong-ga on 12 Nov 2002 12:56 PST

Dear Gollie-ga,

Just so you can verify further, you can contact the Ulster Museum
(http://www.ulstermuseum.org.uk).

Here you can find a catalogue of various plants together with the
respective scientific names.
(http://www.ulstermuseum.org.uk/flora/families.htm)

The museum also offers services that can help you identify similar
materials in case you encounter the same type of identification
problem. Just click or paste this link:
http://www.ulstermuseum.org.uk/services.html. You can give them the
actual sample of the coaster that you posted -- just in case it turned
out I'm wrong.

Sincerely,

Feilong-ga

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Request for Answer Clarification by gollie-ga on 24 Nov 2002 19:07 PST

Dear Feilong,
Just as an issue of following up, we have another name here -
Lepironia - which is also accepted by the US Customs. In order to
satisfy our curiosity, do you think you can tell us what is the
difference between this one and the one you provided or are they the
same? Thanks for that.
Best regarsd
Gollie

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Clarification of Answer by feilong-ga on 25 Nov 2002 12:55 PST

Dear Gollie,

First of all, thank you very much for the five-star rating and your
generous tip. Regarding your inquiry about Lepironia, this is beyond
the scope of your original question, and you may want to consider
posting a new question.

If you would like me to continue assisting you in investigating
Lepironia, you can include the phrase "this is for feilong-ga only" in
the text of your question or write "For Feilong only: Lepironia" as
the title of your query. Thank you very much.

Feilong

Very knowledgeable and very efficient. Couldn't ask for more.

Hello Gollie-ga. I already have a strong idea of what you mean and the
material that you are seeking. In as much as I would like to help you
in order to ID the material, I can’t divulge my address or any other
details that will make me completely known to you or anyone. We
researchers have a guideline to follow and I intend to be of service
under those rules. Besides, even if I can give you my address for you
to send the material, I personally won’t advice you to do so because
it will be costly and time consuming on your part plus you always have
the risk of losing the package during transport. You’ll end up
spending more than $10 just to scientifically ID the material which I
think is not practical at all. You can, however, show me pictures of
the coaster and raw material by posting it somewhere on the net and
giving me the address. A picture speaks a thousand words as the saying
goes so if you want to give out more details of the material you can
provide:

- full close-up shot/s of the finished product/s
- close-up/s of the material of the finished product/s
- close-up/s of the raw material (lateral and cross-sectional view)

What I would like to see on the latter are the grains or striations of
the material. Please make sure that the last one is raw – no
paint/varnish coating whatsoever for me to have a good look. The
closer and clearer the images are, the better. Also, please provide a
reference so that I will have a good idea of the length, thickness,
diameter or whatever applies. You can do this by placing the material
side by side with a ruler. And just to make sure, please add the info
and measurements (in inches or millimeters) of the material when you
post it in the Internet. All the data you can provide will be helpful
because I won’t be able to personally touch or feel the material.

Finally, it would make it easy for us if you can confirm from the
supplier that the material is of wheat or barley, rattan or wood. And
although your supplier won’t tell you the wood factory in Guangdong,
try to ask the root source of the material before it ended up in
Guangdong. Your supplier might tell you if you tell them that it is
needed for the approval of your papers.

Thank you very much. I’ll be working on it as soon as I receive your
reply.

WOW! Very impressive feilong-ga. Congratulations for you persistence
and creativity.
czh

Thank you very much czh and to all of you who may chance upon this thread.