Chengkou Eucommia

Chengkou Eucommia

　　Eucommia is a deciduous tree that can grow up to 15–20 meters tall with a trunk diameter of about 50 centimeters. Its bark has coarse or fine fissures. The branches, roots, bark, and leaves all contain hard rubber (gutta-percha). The lateral and net veins on the leaf surface are sunken while they protrude on the underside. It is dioecious and lacks floral bracts. The winged fruit is flat, long, and oval-shaped. It is a unique monotypic plant family in China. It is distributed across central regions of the Yangtze River, growing in habitats at elevations of 300–2,500 meters that are cool, moist, and relatively sunny. During the Cenozoic era, it was also found in North America and Europe. It holds very high economic value, but wild resources have been nearly depleted. It is a Class II nationally protected rare species. Chengkou has a long history of artificially cultivating eucommia, which is now distributed throughout the county.

　　Source: People’s Government of Chengkou County, Chongqing Municipality