Amur corktree - Phellodendron amurense Rupr. - Cork Tree is native to northern China, Manchuria, Korea, and Japan. This small to medium deciduous tree - 25 to 50 feet tall - has been cultivated in the Far East and eastern Europe. It was introduced into the United States around 1865, and its thick, corky bark and massive, irregular branches have made it of special interest for landscape and environmental plantings in the northern and western United States (Blackburn 1952; Everett 1964; Hoag 1965; Lewis 1957).
Description:
In tests in Kansas, however, the tree did not perform well and was not recommended for general use (Hensley and others 1991). It is a potential source of industrial cork (Izmodenov 1972; Ota and others 1965), important as a nectar-bearing species in bee-keeping areas of the Russian Far East (Necaev and Pelemenev 1965), and of possible importance for the insecticidal properties of its fruit oils (Schechter 1943). In Byelorussia it is considered a "soil builder" when mixed with Scots pine - Pinus sylvestris L. (Letkovskij 1960). It tolerates a wide range of soil conditions, pH, drought, and pollution; it is easily transplanted and generally free of pests.