Eucommia

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Eucommia
Eucommia-ulmoides.JPG
Eucommia ulmoides foliage and flowers.
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Garryales
Family: Eucommiaceae
Engl. [2]
Genus: Eucommia
Oliv. [3]
Species
  • See text

Eucommia is a genus of small trees now native to China, with a fossil record that shows a much wider distribution. The single living species, Eucommia ulmoides , is near threatened in the wild, but is widely cultivated in China for its bark, and is highly valued in herbology such as traditional Chinese medicine. [4]

Contents

Description

Modern Eucommia trees grow to about 15 m tall. The leaves are deciduous, arranged alternately, simple ovate with an acuminate tip, 8–16 cm (3.1–6.3 in) long, and with a serrated margin. If a leaf is torn across, strands of latex exude from the leaf veins and solidify into rubber and hold the two parts of the leaf together. It flowers from March to May with the flowers being inconspicuous, small, and greenish. The fruits ripen between June and November and are a winged samara with one seed, very similar to an elm samara in appearance. The modern fruits are 2–3 cm (0.79–1.18 in) long and 1–2 cm (0.39–0.79 in) broad, while fruits of the extinct species range up to 21 millimetres (0.83 in) long. [4]

Eucommia is dioecious, with separate male and female plants. [5]

Taxonomy

Eucommia is the sole member of the family Eucommiaceae, and was formerly considered to be a separate order, the Eucommiales. The modern species is sometimes known as the "hard rubber tree", [4] "Gutta-percha tree" or "Chinese rubber tree", but is not related to either the true Gutta-percha tree of southeastern Asia, nor to the South American rubber tree.

Medicinal Use

Eucommia tea has been shown to somewhat lower blood pressure. [6] It has been used and sold for a various other things. Research appears to be somewhat limited.

Distribution

E. ulmoides is native to forest areas on hills and mountains of the provinces in central and eastern China, though it has been suggested that the species is extinct in the wild. [4] E. ulmoides is also occasionally planted in botanical gardens and other gardens in Europe, North America, and elsewhere, being of interest as the only cold-tolerant (to at least -30 °C) rubber-producing tree. Fossil species of Eucommia have been found in 10- to 35-million-year-old brown coal deposits in central Europe, [4] in numerous fossil sites in Asia, [4] and five different fossil species have been described from North America, indicating the genus had a much wider range in the past. [4]

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<i>Eucommia ulmoides</i> Species of tree

Eucommia ulmoides is a species of small tree native to China. It belongs to the monotypic family Eucommiaceae. It is considered vulnerable in the wild, but is widely cultivated in China for its bark and is highly valued in herbology such as traditional Chinese medicine.

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<i>Eucommia eocenica</i> Extinct species of tree

Eucommia eocenica is an extinct species of flowering plant in the family Eucommiaceae. E. eocenica is known from fossil fruits found in the middle Eocene Claiborne Formation deposits of the southeastern United States. E. eocenica is one of five described fossil species from North America assigned to the modern genus Eucommia. The other species are E. constans, E. jeffersonensis, E. montana, and E. rowlandii.

<i>Eucommia montana</i> Extinct species of tree

Eucommia montana is an extinct species of flowering plant in the family Eucommiaceae. E. montana is known from fossil fruits found in Eocene deposits of the northwestern United States southeastern British Columbia south to Oregon and east to Montana and Colorado. E. montana is one of five described fossil species from North America assigned to the modern genus Eucommia. The other species are E. constans, E. eocenica, E. jeffersonensis, and E. rowlandii.

Eucommia constans is an extinct species of flowering plant in the family Eucommiaceae. Eucommia is a genus of small trees now native to China, with a fossil record that shows a much wider distribution. E. constans is known from fossil fruits found in Miocene to Pleistocene deposits of east-central Mexico. E. constans is one of five described fossil species from North America assigned to the modern genus Eucommia. The other species are E. eocenica, E. jeffersonensis, E. montana, and E. rowlandii.

Eucommia jeffersonensis is an extinct species of flowering plant in the family Eucommiaceae. It is known from a fossil fruit found in latest Eocene deposits of Oregon, United States. E. jeffersonensis is one of five described fossil species from North America assigned to the modern genus Eucommia. The other species are E. constans, E. eocenica, E. montana, and E. rolandii.

Eucommia rolandii is an extinct species of flowering plant in the family Eucommiaceae. E. rolandii is known from four fossil leaves found in Middle Eocene deposits of British Columbia, Canada and Mississippi, United States. E. rolandii is one of five described fossil species from North America assigned to the modern genus Eucommia. The other species are E. constans, E. eocenica, E. jeffersonensis, and E. montana.

The Coldwater Beds are a geologic formation of the Okanagan Highlands in British Columbia, Canada. They preserve fossils dating back to the Ypresian stage of the Eocene period, or Wasatchian in the NALMA classification.

<i>Davidia involucrata</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Nyssaceae

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References

  1. ↑ Rivers, M.C. (2018). "Eucommia ulmoides". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T31280A130694949. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T31280A130694949.en . Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  2. ↑ Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (2009). "An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 161 (2): 105–121. doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00996.x .
  3. ↑ "Eucommia". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries; Australian National Botanic Gardens . Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Call, V.B.; Dilcher, D.L. (1997). "The fossil record of Eucommia (Eucommiaceae) in North America". American Journal of Botany. 84 (6): 798–814. doi:10.2307/2445816. JSTOR   2445816. PMID   21708632. S2CID   20464075.
  5. ↑ "Eucommiaceae". Flora of China. 9 March 2021 – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  6. ↑ Greenway, Frank; Liu, Zhijun; Yu, Ying; Gupta, Alok (2011-12-16). "A clinical trial testing the safety and efficacy of a standardized Eucommia ulmoides Oliver bark extract to treat hypertension". Alternative Medicine Review: A Journal of Clinical Therapeutic. 16 (4): 338–347. ISSN   1089-5159. PMID   22214253.


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