papyrus

noun (plural papyri /-ˈpīrī/ or papyruses)

• 1a material prepared in ancient Egypt from the pithy stem of a water plant, used in sheets throughout the ancient Mediterranean world for writing or painting on and also for making rope, sandals, and boats.
• a document written on papyrus.

• 2the tall aquatic sedge from which papyrus is obtained, native to central Africa and the Nile valley.

  • Cyperus papyrus, family Cyperaceae