Hardy Rubber Tree; Gutta-percha Tree
Eucommia ulmoides · Eucommiaceae · 두충
How to spot it
Notable for the rubbery latex that appears when a leaf is torn; the only living species of the family Eucommiaceae.
Look
- Leaves
- Glossy green leaves, elliptic to egg-oblong (7.6-20 cm long); when torn, rubbery latex stretches out in threads.
- Flowers
- Small green-brown flowers appear in spring and are inconspicuous.
- Fruit
- Flat winged samara-like seeds 2.5-3.8 cm long appear from summer to fall.
- Bark
- Gray-brown bark is furrowed and cracked, and ornamental.
Where it grows
- Native to
- Native to central and southern China.