Facts about Cork
The bark in some species is thick, resembling that of the cork oak, but is not thick enough for commercial cork production.
Some cork is substantially thicker, providing further insulation and giving the bark a characteristic structure; in some cases thick enough to be harvestable as cork product without killing the tree.
Among other areas, suberin is found in the phellem (cork) layer of the periderm.
Over time this bark can develop considerable thickness and this can be harvested every 10–12 years as cork.
Cork material is a subset of generic cork tissue, harvested for commercial use primarily from the evergreen cork oak tree, Quercus suber or the deciduous Chinese cork oak, Quercus variabilis.
Sheets of cork, often the byproduct of more lucrative stopper production, are used to make floor tiles and bulletin boards.
Cork, sometimes confused with bark in colloquial speech, is the outermost layer of a woody stem, derived from the cork cambium.
Cork oaks cannot legally be cut down in Portugal, except for forest management felling of old, unproductive trees.
Synonyms for cork cambium are bark cambium, pericambium, or phellogen.
Due to the thickening cork layer, these cells die because they do not receive water and nutrients.
One species, Amur cork tree, Phellodendron amurense, is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine.
The Chinese cork oak is cultivated in China to a small extent for cork production, though its yield is lower than that of the related cork oak.
The cork oak (Quercus suber) is a medium-sized, evergreen oak tree in the section Quercus sect.
By harvesting cork oaks only every 10 to 12 years, a tree may provide a dozen or more harvests in its lifetime.
Cork also is used as the common name for various species of the unrelated genus, Phellodendron, which is not a commercial source of cork.
Commercial cork—because it is almost impervious to liquids and gases and yet is buoyant, lightweight, adhesive, chemically inert and elastic—has many uses.
Cork oak forests cover approximately 2.5 million hectares in those countries.
The name refers to the thick and corky bark of some (but not all) species in the genus.
The cork-tree is resistant to drought and insects, and it can thrive in a variety of soils.
The cork cambium subsequently is responsible for secondary growth that replaces the epidermis in roots and stems.
Portugal accounts for 50 percent of the world cork harvest.
Suberin is a waxy substance found in higher plants and is named after the cork oak, Quercus suber.
The European cork industry produces 340,000 metric tons of cork a year, with a value of Ђ1.5 billion and employing 30,000 people.
The harvesting of cork does not harm the tree and a new layer of cork regrows, making it a renewable resource.
Cork's low density makes it a suitable material for fishing floats and buoys, as well as handles for fishing rods (as an alternative to neoprene).
Cells that grow inwards from the phellogen are termed phelloderm, and cells that develops outwards are termed phellem or cork.
Cork oaks are sometimes planted as individual trees, providing a minor income to their owners.
Cork cambium, a tissue found in many vascular plants as part of the periderm.
The composites made by mixing cork granules and cement have low thermal conductivity, low density and good energy absorption.
Wine corks represent 15 percent of cork usage by weight but 66 percent of revenues.
Cork's elasticity combined with its near-impermeability makes it suitable as a material for bottle stoppers, especially for wine bottles.
Phellodendron or cork-tree, is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Rutaceae, native to east and northeast Asia.
Cork is used in musical instruments, particularly woodwind instruments, where it is used to fasten together segments of the instrument, making the seams airtight.
Virgin cork (or "male" cork) is the first cork cut from generally 25-year-old trees.