Amur Corktree
Phellodendron amurense · Rutaceae · 황벽나무
How to spot it
Characterized by well-developed cork that cracks vertically in the bark and a yellow inner bark; the Korean name Hwangbyeok comes from this yellow inner bark.
Look
- Leaves
- Leaves are opposite and odd-pinnate compound, with 5 to 13 lanceolate-ovate leaflets 5 to 10 cm long, glossy above and white below.
- Flowers
- In June, small yellowish-green flowers open in panicles 5 to 7 cm across.
- Fruit
- Round drupes ripen black and stay on the tree through winter; each holds 5 seeds.
- Bark
- Pale gray bark with well-developed cork that cracks deeply; the inner bark is yellow.
Where it grows
- In Korea
- Native (Korean Peninsula)
- Native to
- Found in China, Japan and the Russian Far East; in Korea it grows in Hamgyeongnam-do and Hamgyeongbuk-do, Pyeongannam-do and Pyeonganbuk-do, Gangwon-do, Gyeonggi-do and Ulleungdo.
- Ecology
- Sun-loving but very shade tolerant, so it also grows in shade. It likes deep, fertile soil, is strongly cold-hardy, and is highly resistant to pollution and pests.